Devil at the Door
by Caribou Kid
Summary: The earth is threatening to come apart at the seams, Nelson and crew race against time to reverse the damage before it's too late.
1. Chapter 1

**Devil at the Door**

The meeting turned contentious and raucous as the scientist fought to expound on their theories regarding the causes of the extreme and unprecedented increase in seismic activity experienced along the Aleutian Trench positioned between the Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea. Numerous and alarmingly high magnitude earthquakes had suddenly beset the region along with the unexpected rebirth of long dormant volcanos sprinkled throughout the Aleutian Island chain. The source of the activity had been traced to the deepest section of the trench which dropped a precipitous 26,000 feet beneath the ocean surface to the deep rift along the subduction zone; that area where the Pacific Plate plunged below the North American Plate.

As the intensity and frequency of the quakes increased a gathering of the planet's preeminent geologists, seismologists, volcanologists, geophysicists and other earth science specialists had been called to try and establish the cause and formulate a possible solution to reverse the trend before a horrific catastrophe occurred. It was only a matter of time until the quakes ripped the earth's surface apart and generated cataclysmic tsunamis that would lay waste to coastal zones across the globe.

Growing weary of the unrestrained shouting between the delegates, the moderator of the meeting Admiral Harriman Nelson (ret) of the Nelson Institute of Marine Research, invoked over 40 years of military training and command presence and called the meeting back to order using a command voice that left even senior officers and NCOs wide-eyed and focused. "ENOUGH!" his voice boomed over the occupants in the room. The resulting stunned expressions and silence would have been comedic if the situation weren't so dire.

"Ladies, gentlemen, we are solving nothing with this uncontrolled and pointless chatter. We _**will **_exercise the proper decorum and courtesy that this meeting demands so that we can appropriately hear your various theories and give each the consideration it is due. Time is limited and if we do not work together we may well seal the doom of our planet. If you fail to _play nice_ I will have you removed from the hall and we will proceed without you and possibly miss a critical piece of this puzzle because you are not here to present it. Is that understood?"

As the looks of shock and umbrage faded from the faces of the delegates and they realized Nelson was right, everyone nodded in agreement and moved to retake their seats. The worst offenders also seemed to have the good grace to blush slightly in embarrassment as they took stock of their behavior.

"Good, that is an excellent start," Nelson said. "Here is what I propose to move us forward. We will listen to theories from each of the schools of science, evaluate what they have to present then move on to developing a course of action based on what has been presented. Does that sound acceptable to everyone?"

All assembled nodded again in agreement. The implications of what was at stake should they fail to achieve their task asserted itself and those assembled subsumed their considerable egos so they could move forward towards a course of action.

"Dr. Sperry can you start us off by providing a situational briefing on the current conditions along the trench?" Nelson asked.

"Of course Admiral," Bruce Sperry replied. "As you are all well aware there has been an alarming escalation of seismic and volcanic activity along the Aleutian Trench. The first indications of this began to manifest about 18 months ago. The region, normally seismically active to begin with, has become a hotbed of activity resulting in increasingly stronger earthquakes, the eruption of 12 active volcanos along the Aleutian Island chain and the rebirth of 15 volcanos previously categorized as extinct. The magnitude of the quakes have increased from the more common 4 to 5 range on the Richter Scale to the high sevens and low eights. Given this increase we are rapidly approaching quakes that will equal or surpass the 9.2 Good Friday earthquake that decimated the Alaskan mainland in 1964. Thus far the damage has been relatively minimal centered on the Aleutian chain but as the magnitude of the quakes increase so will the damage and the areal extent of that damage. The potential for immensely destructive tsunamis is growing with each day."

"Based on the information we have received from the few sensors and probes we have in the epicenter of all this activity it's as if the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate are being ripped or shoved apart from the inside. If that is the case and the subduction zone is breached the ocean above will drain into the breach and our planet could potential be blown apart at the seams. There are also indications that the seismicity is spreading as activity has increased along the major fault lines located around the globe and as you are all aware there are major population centers along those faults," Sperry added in conclusion.

"Thank you Bruce," Nelson said. "Now let us begin addressing the issues at hand." Harri began directing the presentations from the major camps of earth sciences as they all presented their findings and offered potential solutions to quell the increased activity. As the last of the presentations was made, a young woman seated in the back of the room stood waiting to be acknowledged by the meeting chair.

"Admiral Nelson, may I speak?"

"You are?" Nelson inquired.

"Dr. Kendal Ferguson. I'm an astrophysicist from NASA, sir."

"Of course Dr. Ferguson, what would you like to share with the group?"

"Admiral, my colleagues and I believe there is another factor that could be playing into the sudden increase in activities across the planet. It's tough to say this without sounding like a "New Age" crackpot, but there is an impending planetary alignment that may be impacting forces on earth. Based on our calculations all the planets of this solar system will be in straight line alignment in 28 months. Nothing like this has ever occurred in the history of our solar system so there is no information on the effects such an event could have. What is even more troublesome is that this shouldn't occur at all. There have been shifts in the various planetary orbits and more pronounced wobbles of certain planets as they spin on their axis. " There were a number of snorts and condescending chuckles that rippled through the crowd.

"Excuse me Doctor," Nelson cut in. "I believe we all agreed to approach this situation with an open mind and afford each other the professional courtesy of listening to different or divergent points of view. Please, keep your less than constructive comments to yourself. I'm sorry for the interruption Dr. Ferguson, please continue."

"Thank you Admiral. The main reason I'm here today is to alert you to a potential source of this activity and to provide you with a timeframe in which a critical event could occur. It is well known that such alignments would have negligible effects on the earth in terms of gravity but there are other cosmic forces out there such as radiation, radio waves, solar winds plus a host of things that may be unknown to us. We find these recent events to be more than a little coincidental given the increased activities in the Aleutian Trench have mirrored the changes we have seen. We believe that in not offering this information for your consideration we would be negligent. There's nothing we as a people or planet can do on the universal scale to restore the planets to their original trajectory but we may be able to affect some mitigation of the forces on the earth if this information is added to the mix. Thank you for your attention."

The room remained silent for a moment following Dr. Ferguson's comments as the assembled scientists considered the information provided as a potential source for the increased activity. Kendal was gratified and relieved that she wasn't laughed out of the hall in large part thanks to Admiral Nelson's admonishment to those in the room.

"Thank you, Dr. Ferguson that indeed is something to consider," Nelson finally said. "I suggest we all take the next 90 minutes to go to lunch and to consider all that we have heard thus far. We will reconvene at 1300 to begin formulating a plan of action." There was a murmur of agreement and the meeting participants rose and began filing out of the room.

"Dr. Ferguson, a moment please," Nelson called out over the din. Harri made his way across the room and extended his hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Admiral Nelson," Kendal said taking the admiral's hand. "And thank you very much for allowing me to speak."

"The pleasure is mine, Doctor. That is some revelation you made, I was wondering if I could get a copy of the results of your scans and observations?" Harri asked.

"By all means Admiral, I think you'll find that our observations paint a rather startling picture of the local celestial neighborhood." Kendal replied.

"Most assuredly," Nelson replied. "Given my review of the data collected here on earth, I'm hard pressed to identify a specific source for the drastic changes we've seen of late. The idea of an extraterrestrial source poses some very interesting questions and I think gives us at least a timeline on which to work."

"That was our whole intent sir, as we started seeing the patterns and potentials we got the feeling it may just be one of the sources of the recent activity. If there's anything we can do to assist your efforts to resolve this problem please let me know and we'll provide any help you might need."

"I appreciate that Dr. Ferguson, we may take you up on that offer," Nelson replied as he pulled his business card out of his pocket. "If you would be so kind as to transmit your data to my personal email account I would appreciate that as well."

"Of course Admiral Nelson, I'll take care of it personally. Well sir I need to be on my way, I have other business while I'm here in D.C.," Kendal said as she handed her card to Nelson. "If you have any questions or need additional information please don't hesitate to contact me."

"Thank you, Doctor and the same holds true for me. I look forward to talking with you in the future." Nelson once more shook Ferguson's hand and then made his way to his hotel room to alert his staff at NIMR about the new information.

The remaining conference transpired with less drama and the committee settled on a list of tasks that needed to be completed in the near term. The first task was to deploy more sophisticated sensors along the trench especially at the epicenter of the events. Additional monitoring needed to be conducted on the volcanoes along the Aleutian Island chain as well as positioning more sensors along the other major faults around the world.

With regards to positioning the sensors in the Aleutian Trench there was no question as to which platform was to be used. Nelson's research submarine SSRN Seaview was the logical choice as she represented the largest and most technologically advanced vessel in the world and one of the most highly regarded command crews in or out of the Navy, Captain Lee Crane and Commander Chip Morton to boot.

()()()()()

The time was drawing near, it could feel it and the growing sense of anticipation at its opportunity to escape was nearly unendurable. It had been eons since it had been imprisoned in this cell of solid iron wrapped in molten rock, hardened mantel and fathoms of water. It had been patient recouping its powers biding its time until the galactic forces aligned giving it access to that last bit of energy it needed to shatter these bonds and escape to exact its revenge on those who so cruelly trapped it here.

It had been with this planet since its birth. It felt the comings and goings of the eons and epochs, knowing all those creatures that called this place home. Only now with the current dominant version of life did it have something to work with to aid it in its bid for freedom. It had been with them from the start when they first emerged from the primordial ooze and it pushed and wheedled its way into their minds and subconscious through dreams and distant voices.

It found those consumed with greed and the lust for power to be the most easily influenced and infiltrated their thoughts inflaming their hunger and thirst for conquest and domination. It seeded their dreams with the need to develop bigger and more destructive weapons capable of blowing this world apart in their desire to vanquish all adversaries. It also blurred the realities that those very weapons would destroy them as well as those they chose to enslave, to keep them striving ever forward. It fueled their blind fanaticism and stroked their wanting egos as it drew them closer to their extinction. It funneled its anger, cruelty, malevolence and hate into their being leading them most willingly to their doom. It needed their help to crack the mantle, to open the door to the outside universe then nothing would be safe in its quest for vengeance.

It had reclaimed the ability to move the orbs around this star to focus the energy it needed to complete its escape. There would be no one here to stop it now, the Keepers were no doubt long gone or had forgotten their charge locked away until the end of time. That would be their undoing; it had to proceed cautiously so as not to draw attention to its actions until it was too late. If it still had a face the thoughts of escape and retribution would have manifested in a nasty and foreboding grin.

()()()()()

Harri climbed out of the limousine after it pulled to a stop in front of the NIMR admin building. He had caught the red eye out of DC without alerting his captain Lee Crane because he didn't want to disturb him. Had he let Lee know, he would have been at the airport at 0300 to collect his boss and bring him back to the institute. Harri watched as the driver pulled his bags from the trunk and set them on the curb.

"That's fine Robert; I'll take them in myself. Thanks for the ride, head on home and catch up on some sleep." Nelson said as he moved to pick up his suitcase.

"You sure Admiral, it's no bother."

"Yes I'm sure, go on and head for home," Nelson said with a smile and then turned and walked up the steps to the building. When he reached the front door he set down one of his bags and started fishing for his keys, as he pulled them from his pants pocket the door suddenly swung open and Lee Crane stepped out.

"Good morning, sir. You know you should have called and I would have picked you up," Lee said with a smile.

"Good morning Lee and what the hell are you doing here?" Harri replied with a smile.

"You honestly think I don't keep tabs on you?" Lee laughed. "Actually I just got here myself to catch up on a little work while it's quiet."

"Lee its 0430, you should be home in bed sleeping not burning the midnight oil. No wonder Jamie harps on you about getting more rest and relaxation." Harri let loose an exasperated sigh at Lee's shrug and smile.

"So how was the meeting sir? Did they actually come to any resolution or plan of action?"

"Surprisingly yes," Harri replied with a chuckle. "There was a very interesting bit of information regarding changes within our solar system from a representative of NASA which may or may not play into the changes we've seen. The bottom line though is that more information from the subduction zone along the trench is needed and NIMR and Seaview have been assigned the task of deploying the sensors."

"That's not too unexpected. I had assumed something along those lines and already have Chip laying out the ground work for the mission," Lee responded.

Harri just stared at him for a moment his eyebrows raised in amazement. "Then why did I bother to go to the conference if you had it all figured out? I could have saved myself a week of exasperation and headaches." He shook his head and just laughed at Lee's apparent ability to plan for every contingency.

"Oh come on sir, it doesn't take a genius to know that scientists always want more data and what vessel is better suited to deposit additional sensors in a deep and seismically active trench than Seaview?"

"I guess you've got me there. Well come on son let's head on in, get a cup of coffee and you can tell me what else you've planned for on this mission."

Lee smiled at Harri then laughed. He picked up one of his bags and opened the door for the admiral. Harri grabbed the other patted Lee on the back and entered the building. They walked down the hall caught the elevator up to the executive floor and then headed to Harri's office.

As Harri freshened up in his private bathroom Lee started the coffee and retrieved the box of donuts from his office. He poured two cups of coffee and set out napkins so they could enjoy the treats without dusting the entire room with powdered sugar.

"Thanks Lee, I'm famished," Harri said as he pulled a couple of the pastries out of the box and sat down at the conference table.

"You're welcome sir," Lee replied as he sipped on his coffee and joined the admiral at the table.

"Aren't you going to have any?"

"I'm not that hungry yet sir." Harri glowered at him for a moment, Lee finally relented and picked up a chocolate frosted donut. "So what all do we need to prepare for this cruise, Admiral?"

"There is a shipment of 100 seismic sensors en route as we speak, along with the software package to set them up and get them running. NASA also has some sensors and a couple of probes they want deployed to test out their theories regarding the planetary shifts they've observed."

"Are we bringing any passengers with us this time?" Lee inquired.

"NASA will be sending along their lead astrophysicist to assist with the calibration of the sensors once they're dropped into the trench and to operate their probes. I believe it will most likely be Dr. Kendal Ferguson."

"Fine, if you can give me his contact information I'll get in touch with him and see if there are any special accommodations needed for his equipment."

"She," Nelson replied.

"She, sir?"

"Dr. Ferguson is a she and here's her card."

"Very well, I'll contact Dr. Ferguson and see if she needs anything special for the mission. Anything else we need to address, sir?"

"No I think that's enough for now Lee. I want to shoot for departure in a week if that's doable and I think we should plan on at least 3 months to get everything laid out and operational," Harri added.

"Not a problem. Other than waiting for the special equipment, we're ready to sail at a moment's notice. Once Chip gets in I'll get him started on recalling the crew and outfitting the boat for our voyage."

()()()()()

Over 100 billion light years across the universe an ancient entity was stirred from its slumber by a shift in the universe it did not recognize. Like a spider sitting on its web the slight tremble in the continuum rippled through existence alerting it to the unusual change. Slowly it focused its massive mind and systematically scoured the vast expanse for the source of the disturbance, much like following the ripples on the surface of the water back to the source.

As it neared the area of origination a sense of familiarity with this galactic backwater began to register. The images of that long past event flashed vividly through its consciousness igniting a sense of alarm. There's no way these changes should be taking place, they had locked it away, rendered it powerless and impotent. They had imprisoned it so that it never could escape and threaten the universe again.

The entity shot out a scan which quickly traversed the inconceivable distance and conducted a complete assessment of the area looking ardently for a small blue planet positioned third from its sun. Touching the orb with its mind it was shocked to find the entity within alert and exerting its own force on the planets orbiting that small sun.

This was not possible; it should have no power to act beyond its prison of iron. As it touched the planet an insidious and cruel intelligence rumbled across the distance. The game was about to start anew with a refreshed and revitalized foe. This could not be permitted; measures had to be taken to keep the entity contained and forever seal its doom.


	2. Chapter 2

Harri headed across the gangplank to Seaview and entered the sail. He wanted to touch base with his captain and get a status update on their readiness to sail in the morning. He quickly descended the ladder into the control room and scanned the area for Seaview's skipper. Not overly surprised he spotted a pair of khaki clad legs extending from underneath one of the pieces of equipment; the man was incurably hands-on when it came to his boat and there were many instances where that familiarity and connection with his vessel had saved their lives.

An affectionate smile slipped across the admiral's face as he observed the man he considered his son tinkering with the boat's systems. There was considerable muttering with the occasional burst of profanity as things apparently weren't lining up properly. He watched as a single hand reached back to the floor beside him and patted around in quest of a tool. Harri moved forward and eased the screwdriver into his hand making Lee jump and bang his head on the inside of the console. That was of course followed by a whole litany of swear words in multiple languages some of which Harri hadn't heard before.

Lee immediately began worming his way back out of the console to see who was keeping him company. He was just about to blast the man for not announcing himself until he saw it was Harri and he bit back the barrage. He donned a rather sheepish grin as he pushed up to his feet rubbing his head where he had made contact.

"Morning sir, what are you doing here so early?

"Morning Lee," Harri replied as he choked back a chuckle. "I just wanted to see how things were progressing and if we were going to be able to sail as planned."

"We're getting there sir and will be able to sail as scheduled. All of the sensors and probes have arrived and have been stowed in the missile room. The software has been installed and Chip has a good handle on that," Lee offered as he picked up the rag next to where he'd been working and wiped his hands.

"What pray tell were you doing under the new sonar unit, or do I want to know?"

Lee chuckled and blushed a bit. "There's been a power bleed somewhere in the wiring and I was chasing it down since I had a few spare minutes. I think I found it and was just finishing up when you came in."

"I see, and the maintenance crew and Kowalski couldn't take care of that because…"

"As I said sir I had a few minutes with nothing to do and I'll have Ski double check it anyway."

Harri just smiled, there's no way he'd ever change his captain and the more he thought on it he wouldn't have him any other way. He did a quick scan of the control room then walked over to the radar station and picked up one end of a belt attached to the seat secured to the floor. "Seatbelts, those are new aren't they?"

Lee smiled and nodded. "Yes sir. Knowing the area we'll be working in and the high probability we'll encounter some significant seismic events and the turbulence associated with them, I thought it would be a wise precaution to help keep the men safe. Given the size of earthquakes that have occurred in the Aleutians recently I can see us doing the 'rock and roll' more than once and it would be nice to make sure we have uninjured operators at the equipment."

"That's a good idea and probably something we should have installed long ago. Oh I did want to tell you that Dr. Ferguson will be arriving early this afternoon and I'll bring her down for a tour and help her get set up in the lab for whatever experiments she needs to perform."

"What time will you be bringing her down to the boat?"

"Around 1400, she's supposed to arrive after lunch. I'd like you to be here to meet her and provide a tour of the boat if I get pulled away."

"Of course sir," Lee replied with a smile. "Oh, is there anything else you can think of that you will need for the cruise? The lab has been fully restocked and your equipment has been loaded and stowed in the lab as well."

"Not that I can think of at the moment but I'll double check when I go down there with Dr. Ferguson. Well that's all I've got for now Lee, I need to head back to the office to check in with the committee members and get an update on conditions in the trench. Try and leave something for the maintenance crews to do, okay son. They like to earn their pay as well," Harri said with a chuckle.

Lee blushed slightly at the good-natured jibe. "Aye sir, I'll try and restrain myself."

()()()()()

Kendal Ferguson arrived right on time at NIMR and was escorted to the admin building for her meeting with the admiral. She was quite honestly amazed at the size of the compound and the number of buildings housing the various research activities for which the institute was known. After she parked her car she was met by another security guard who got her signed in, issued her a visitors badge and escorted her up to the admiral's office.

"Hi Angie," Tom said as he entered the office. "I have Dr. Kendal Ferguson with me, she has a 1300 meeting with Admiral Nelson."

"Thanks Tom," Angie replied. "I'll take care of her now." Tom nodded, gave Angie a quick salute and headed out the door.

"Welcome Dr. Ferguson, Admiral Nelson is on the phone right now but will be with you shortly. Please have a seat. Would you like something to drink, while you wait?"

"No, thank you I'm fine," Kendal replied. Instead of taking the proffered chair she began walking around the reception area looking at the works of art adorning the walls. The pictures ran the gamut from the expected submarines and Navy ships to some incredible pictures of marine life from all across the globe.

After a few moments Angie saw the light on the phone go out signaling the end of the admiral's call. She picked up the receiver and activated the intercom. "Admiral, Dr. Ferguson is here to see you."

"Excellent Angie, please show her in," Nelson replied.

Angie waved the doctor forward and then opened the door to the admiral's office. Nelson rose immediately and moved from behind his desk to greet her. "Dr. Kendal, welcome to NIMR. I hope you found us easily enough."

"Hello Admiral Nelson. Yes I found my way very easily, plus NIMR is pretty hard to miss," she replied with a light laugh.

"Excellent, we're thrilled to have you with us for this voyage and I'm extremely interested in the work you've been doing and what you've discovered to date. Please have a seat," Harri said as he indicated one of the wing back chairs in front of his massive mahogany desk. "What I would like to do today is give you a quick rundown on the mission, answer any questions you may have then escort you down to Seaview. We'll give you a tour of the boat along with the required orientation and safety briefings and then have you stow or set up any equipment you may have for the voyage. Does that sound like a workable plan for this afternoon?"

"Of course Admiral, I'm incredibly excited about seeing your marvelous submarine and heading out to get a firsthand view of the trench and take my readings directly," Kendal replied.

"We'll be sailing tomorrow at 0500 with the morning tide to begin our transit up to the trench. You're welcome to spend the night aboard Seaview if you wish so you don't have to get up so early tomorrow morning. We've planned for a maximum of 3 months to deploy all of the sensors we've been given, carry out various experiments and collect requested samples and readings from the area. We'll also be using FS-1, a smaller more maneuverable submersible and our diving bell to install the sensors and to deploy your probes so if you wish you may accompany my personnel on some of those sorties," Nelson explained.

"Wonderful. I've been reading everything I could get my hands on about your operations and I'm thrilled at the prospect of going along on your specialized vessels. How long is the transit to the trench going to take, Admiral?"

"I would estimate about a week, but we'll check with the captain to get a more definitive answer once we get down to Seaview. Do you have any other questions or concerns Doctor?"

"Not right now Admiral and please call me Kendal. I've always found the 'doctor' title for a PhD a bit pompous," Kendal replied with a chuckle.

"Kendal it is then and please call me Harri. So are you ready to head down to Seaview?"

"I can't wait Harri, lead the way."

Nelson stood and moved to the door. He opened it and indicated Kendal should proceed ahead of him. "Angie, we're heading down to Seaview now. Give Lee a call and let him know we're on our way and to have a couple of hands available to bring Dr. Ferguson's equipment on-board."

"Yes Admiral."

They exited his office and made their way down to the lobby. "Do you have much equipment?" Harri asked.

"I have a couple of more sensors that have been added since our initial shipment and I've got one more probe we'd like to try if time permits. Other than that I've got a couple of bags of clothing and stuff which should tide me over for the length of the mission." Kendal replied.

"Good. Why don't we take your car, you can drive us down to the dock and we'll get everything loaded. Do you need to set up or install anything before we leave port?"

"Yes actually. There's one sensor I would like to get set up now and activate to establish a baseline reading here in California and then compare our readings as we move north towards the Aleutian Trench. It shouldn't take more than half an hour to get it set up and operational."

"Fine, we can accommodate that very readily. Once you've received your required briefings we'll head on down to the lab and let you get to work," Harri said as Kendal hit the remote and unlocked the doors to the car. They both climbed in and Harri directed her to the sub pen.

As they cleared the security checkpoint and rounded the bend to Seaview's berth Harri had to smile at Kendal's audible gasp at her first sight of the submarine. "My god, it's huge and those windows are incredible."

Nelson chuckled having watched this reaction innumerable times. "Yes, she's quite a sight and I hope you will be comfortable once you're aboard."

()()()()()

Lee exited the sail just as the doctor's car drove into view. He motioned to the work detail to head across the gangplank to meet the car and collect the additional equipment and luggage the admiral indicated Dr. Ferguson had brought. He followed quickly after them to greet the admiral and their guest.

"Lee, come on over," Harri called waving Lee towards him. "Dr. Kendal Ferguson I'd like you to meet the captain of the SSRN Seaview Commander Lee Crane. Lee, this is our guest from NASA Dr. Kendal Ferguson."

Lee extended his hand and smiled warmly at the introduction. "Dr. Ferguson it's good to finally meet you, I've heard a lot of good things about you from the admiral and I'm very intrigued by your research; I hope we have the opportunity to sit down and discuss it when you have a chance."

Afraid that she was standing there gape-mouthed and drooling over the incredibly handsome and charming captain of the boat, Kendal had to fight off the urge to draw her hand across her mouth; she quickly swallowed and accepted his hand. As they touched it felt as though an electric charge shot through her body at the contact. "It's…um… it's very nice to meet you as well Captain, and the admiral speaks quite highly of you too."

"Well I wouldn't believe everything he told you, he just says those things so we can actually lure passengers onto the boat." Lee replied with a chuckle and a wink to the doctor. "Kowalski see to it that Dr. Ferguson's bags are taken to Guest Cabin 1. Pat you and the other men get the doctor's gear down to the lab."

"Aye Skipper," Kowalski replied trying desperately to hide the grin at the all too common reaction female passengers had to meeting the captain for the first time.

Seeing Ski bite back the grin Harri chuckled quietly knowing the source of his amusement. Lee of course was totally oblivious to the reaction and stared at Nelson questioningly. Harri cleared his throat to tamp down the laugh. "All right Kendal let's get aboard and get you settled in. Lee if you would lead the way."

"Of course Admiral, please follow me Doctor," Lee replied as he turned and made his way back across the gangplank.

Glad to be staring at the man's back, Kendal flushed slightly and rolled her eyes at her school girl reaction and response to meeting the captain. _'Way to go Kendal, that's the way to project professional competence at the outset. You practically undressed him with your eyes there on the dock, god I hope to hell no one noticed.'_

Once on board, they entered the sail and descended into the control room at which point she was introduced to the other half of the command duo. As she stepped down off the ladder, the captain motioned her forward. "Doctor Kendal Ferguson I would like you to meet my Executive Officer Commander Chip Morton. Chip this is Dr. Ferguson, our passenger for this mission."

Like Lee, Chip smiled warmly and extended his hand to Kendal. "Nice to meet you Doctor, welcome aboard."

Kendal stared a couple of seconds like a deer in the headlights as she registered yet again an incredibly handsome and charming man. '_God do they all have to look like male models to get hired for this boat?'_ she thought to herself. Better prepared after her meeting with the captain she recovered much faster. "Thank you Commander, it's a pleasure to meet you as well."

"Dr. Ferguson, Chip here will get you started with the safety and orientation briefings. Once those are complete he'll show you to your cabin and then we'll get you down to the lab so you can set up any equipment you need before we sail. I hope the admiral told you we will be sailing at 0500 tomorrow and you are welcome to spend the night on the boat should you so desire." Crane said.

"Please Captain call me Kendal and yes he said we would be sailing very early. I'm more than happy to spend the night aboard tonight I think it will give me a good chance to get acclimated to my surroundings before we get underway."

Lee smiled. "Very well then Kendal and its Lee. I leave you in Chip's very capable hands. Admiral we have a couple things we need to go over before the end of the day, shall we adjourn to your quarters?"

"Of course Lee," Harri replied. "Chip once you're done with Dr. Ferguson's briefing and she gets settled in her cabin give me a call and I'll come escort her down to the lab."

"Aye sir," Chip answered. "Dr. Ferguson, if you would please follow me into the nose we can get started on your orientation to the boat." Chip turned and moved forward with Kendal in tow. As she reached the nose she froze in place as she took in the huge windows spanning the front of the boat. Quite used to the reaction Chip just smiled and watched quietly as she marveled at the feat of engineering brilliance that made Seaview so special. "Wow," Kendal said softly with a bit of reverential awe.

Chip chuckled quietly. "Yeah we get that a lot," he said with a smile. "There are still moments that it catches me off-guard and I just wind up staring too. So if you would take a seat at the table we'll get started. Would you care for a cup of coffee before we get started?"

"Coffee would be great, thank you." As Kendal took a seat at the conference table, Chip poured them both a cup of coffee and handed her one. She took one sip and tried desperately to hide her reaction to the strong and bitter brew.

Chip broke out in laughter. "We get that reaction quite a bit as well. I'm sorry I probably should have said something, we tend to drink our coffee a bit stronger than most. Do you need sugar or cream?"

Trying desperately not to gag, Kendal squeaked out, "Yes, to both!"

Chip chuckled again and handed her some creamer and sugar then sat down at the table and began the briefings. Once they were finished Chip escorted her down to her cabin pointing out key locations as they went.

"Here we are you're in Guest Cabin 1. I'll let you get settled in a bit and relax for a few minutes then let the admiral know you're ready to head to the lab."

"Thanks Chip, I feel almost at home already." Kendal replied.

"Good. I'll see you at dinner Kendal; enjoy the rest of your orientation." Chip said as he exited the stateroom and pulled the door shut.

Kendal flopped down on the bunk and blew out a huge gust of air. She was pretty much sure she had died and gone to heaven with the entire cast of the Chippendales.

()()()()()

Forty-five minutes later, Kendal heard a knock at the door and found Admiral Nelson there to escort her down to his lab. "Are you getting all settled in Kendal?"

"Yes Harri I'm pretty well squared away here. I'm ready to see your lab and to get my one sensor set up and running so I can establish my baseline readings."

"Great. I'll give you the nickel tour of the boat on our way there."

Harri gave her a complete tour, pointing out areas of interest to her and areas that were off limits to unauthorized personnel. They arrived at the lab about an hour later. Kendal did a rapid visual scan of the room and was quite impressed at what the admiral had established on his boat.

"Wow, Harri there are labs at universities that aren't nearly as complete as this one." Kendal said appreciatively.

"Thank you Kendal. I wanted to have everything I might need to conduct my research conveniently located here on board so I wouldn't have to wait for a return to shore to carry on my work. So how much space do you need to set up your sensor?"

"Not that much, it's a small unit about the size of a loaf of bread. The purpose of the sensor is to measure the shifts in the magnetic poles of the planet," she said as she lifted the storage box and set it on the counter. She quickly undid the latches and pulled the small machine out and placed it next to the box then began flipping switches and turning dials.

"In the last couple of years we've noticed an unprecedented acceleration in the shift of the magnetic poles. It's a well-known fact that the earth's magnetic poles shift constantly and have done numerous 180 degree flips throughout the history of our planet. Since the early 19th century magnetic north has migrated northward over 600 miles from where it was first located by explorers. Historically that migration has been about 10 miles per year through most of the 20th century but it has recently accelerated to over 40 miles per year and within the last 5 years that rate has doubled to nearly 80 miles. Whether this rate of change has anything to do with the increased seismic activity we've seen in the Aleutian Trench remains to be determined but this gives us a fantastic opportunity to see if there is a link."

"Very interesting," Harri replied. "Do you anticipate any environmental changes with this magnetic flip flop?"

"Based on the geologic record there don't appear to be any significant impacts to the earth or the ecosphere. There are those doomsday proponents that predict an apocalyptic cataclysm that will eradicate all life on the planet but the geologic data shows that to be highly unlikely. In previous shifts nothing has changed, the earth goes on rotating as it always has and the magnetic field remains intact providing its protection from the more deleterious effects of solar activity on the planet."

"But you do think there may be a correlation between the increased rate of polar shift and the increased seismic activity along the trench?" Nelson asked.

"Temporally there is a direct correlation between the two activities. It bares closer scrutiny to determine if there is a link. Also as I mentioned at the meeting there have been shifts in the orbital patterns of the other planets in our solar system."

"Yes I recall that, in fact that's what piqued my interest most in your research," Harri replied.

"Harri preliminary calculations and observations put the source of that shift on this planet. There should be no way in hell that a single planet, especially one as small as ours, should have that kind of effect on the entire solar system. It's unprecedented in what we know of the universe and its processes," Kendal stated.

"My god that's incredible. So it looks as though all roads point north," Harri said quietly as he processed the implications of Kendal's findings.

"Indeed. You wouldn't believe how relieved I was when you indicated an interest and open- minded consideration of our work at NASA and the invitation to join this expedition was a gift beyond measure. We have been met with less than professional consideration from those so- called scientists around the globe. You heard and saw some of it at the meeting; the rolled eyes, the derisive snorts and outright guffaws at our theories. I would have thought that our observations and strict adherence to the scientific process would have drawn their interest and not their disdain."

Harri smiled knowingly. "I too have been the recipient of those reactions to my work. The best revenge I've found is to keep moving forward and prove beyond a shadow of a doubt to those so-called scientists that your theories aren't theories at all but concrete facts. Seaview is my personal badge of _Told you so._ Nobody can refute that." Both scientists grinned and then chuckled heartily.

Kendal made a couple more adjustments to her sensor and smiled. "Everything is calibrated and working perfectly. That's all I need to do down here until we get to the trench."

"Alright then, how about we head up to the wardroom and have some dinner?" Harri replied.

"That sounds like an excellent idea, I'm starved. Um…Harri…um I was wondering would the cook be horribly offended if I brought my own coffee for dinner."

Harri burst out laughing. "Probably a bit at first but he'll get over it. For the uninitiated his rather stout brew is sometimes too much to handle. Come along, I'll smooth the way for you."

()()()()()

It was nearly 0900 by the time Kendal made her way to the nose the following morning, the time change and excitement of the previous day having taken its toll. As she descended the spiral staircase she was met by the smiling faces of Nelson, Crane and Morton. She returned their smiles with a somewhat sheepish one of her own feeling she'd woefully overslept. As she reached the bottom step she got the full effect of the nose windows and froze once more as she marveled at the site.

"Good morning Kendal, did you sleep well?" Harri asked, breaking her reverie.

"Given the fact you left port and we are now underway, I'd have to say it was the sleep of the dead," she replied laughing. "I didn't feel a thing as we left port. I guess yesterday really tired me out more than I realized and you've got some very comfortable beds on this boat of yours."

The men chuckled. Lee rose from his seat and moved over to the sideboard picked up an empty cup and the coffee pot. "I would say so since you missed our angles and dangles maneuvers to check stowage of equipment and supplies on board. Would you like a cup of coffee?"

"Uh…yes… sure…why not. I suppose I need to get accustomed to what y'all call coffee. Although 'tank bottoms' seems to be a more appropriate name for this sludge," she said laughingly as she moved across the nose to accept the cup. She then proceeded to dump in a couple of heaping spoonful's of sugar and a healthy shot of creamer into the cup.

Chip laughed. "Arrr, we'll be makin' a submariner of you yet."

"Please come join us, we were just about to go over our schedule and plan of attack for when we arrive," Harri said as he pulled out a chair.

Lee and Kendal moved back to the table and sat down. Lee refilled their cups then they got down to business.

"We're going to take roughly six days to reach the eastern end of the trench in the Gulf of Alaska. Once we arrive we'll begin deploying sensors along its length with the highest concentrations in the sections showing the most activity. We will also deploy the AUV* and ROV probes during some of our sensor deployments so you will be able to take your readings. You are quite welcome to go along and operate your drone from FS-1 or the diving bell if you want." Lee provided.

"That sounds perfect Captain, uh I mean Lee, and I would most definitely like to go along for the ride when you use the other two vessels. Also if there's anything I can help with during the trip please let me know." Harri and Chip locked eyes and bit back a smile as another fell victim to the old Crane charm.

"I will definitely take you up on your offer," Harri replied. "We have quite a few sensors and probes that need to be calibrated and tested before we drop them into the trench. I also have a few experiments that I'll be running and an additional pair of hands is always welcome."

"That sounds like a plan. I've been told I don't idle well so the busier I am the happier I'll be," Kendal answered with a smile.

"Well then if he can't keep you busy I'm sure Chip and I can come up with things to keep you occupied too. What do you know about bilge tanks?" Lee joked.

"Kendal why don't you go grab some breakfast then meet me down in the lab and we'll get started on the probes," Harri said.

"Actually I'm not all that hungry Harri that was a huge dinner last night. I'm ready to get to work whenever you are."

"Alright, if you're sure, why don't you head on down to the lab and I'll join you in a few minutes; I have a couple more things I need to address with the captain and XO before I get lost in our work in the lab." Kendal nodded and excused herself from their impromptu meeting. She went back up the staircase to pick up a few items then headed off to the lab.

* AUV – Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, ROV – Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicle


	3. Chapter 3

The voyage north to Alaska went like clockwork and Seaview arrived at the eastern most tip of the trench right on schedule. Kendal had easily adapted to submarine life and had been more or less adopted as an honorary member of the crew. Even Cookie had taken to brewing a special pot of coffee just for her since she really wasn't all that enthralled with the high octane version preferred by the rest of the crew. In the course of the trip she and Harri completed the calibration and testing of all the sensors and uploaded and tested the software programs for the AUVs and ROVs by the time they arrived at their first deployment location. As they completed the last of their tests the captain hailed Nelson over the intercom.

"Admiral this is Crane."

"Nelson here, what is it Lee?"

"We've just arrived at our destination and are ready to proceed with sensor deployment at your earliest convenience."

"Thank you; please have FS-1prepped for immediate launch."

"Aye sir, she'll be ready to sail in 15 minutes, Crane out."

"Looks like we're ready to start dropping sensors," Harri said with a smile, excited at finally being able to start gathering data. "Kendal I'd like you to monitor the data receivers and let me know how things are going."

"I'd be happy to Harri. Have a good trip and be careful out there," Kendal replied.

Harri smiled in response and headed towards the nose to get aboard FS-1. When he arrived he found the hatch open and heard Lee working through the preflight below. As he prepared to enter he spotted Chip coming down the staircase. "Good luck deploying the sensors sir. Everything from this end looks good to go."

"Thanks Chip. Keep a wary eye on the seismic activity once we're away and let us know if you detect so much as a twitch, wouldn't want to get trapped down there so early into the mission," Harri said with a wink.

"Aye sir," Chip replied with a nod.

As the admiral disappeared down the ladder a crewman lowered the hatch and secured it. A couple of minutes later Lee notified the control room he was ready to launch and FS-1 was away. The little submarine immediately began her dive down near her crush depth to begin the process of deploying sensors on the leading edge of the rift.

()()()()()

"We are looking good and ready to go, where to sir?" Lee asked as he directed FS-1 down along the trench.

"I'll drop the first sensor near here and then you can head west along this ridge. Since activity is relatively sparse in this section of the trench we won't need to deploy more than a couple of units about 250 miles apart. I also need to deploy the ROV and send it down to grab a couple of soil samples on the bottom in the area where the sensors touch down," Harri replied.

"I think I can accommodate you there sir," Lee replied with a smile. "Just let me know where and when you want to stop."

"Okay why don't you go west 20 miles and I'll drop the first sensor then deploy the ROV. This shouldn't take much more than an hour assuming all goes right."

Lee guided the small sub forward and down to a few hundred feet above crush depth. As they made their way through the dark and frigid water, Harri unstowed the first sensor, activated the transmitter and staged it on the deck next to the moon pool. Next he untied the ROV from the deck and moved it into position alongside the sensor and readied it for action.

"We're on location Admiral, you may proceed when ready," Lee reported as he recorded the exact coordinates in his logbook.

Harri quickly pulled open the hatch on the dive well and dropped the first of their sensors into the water. It disappeared immediately as it sunk to the bottom of the ocean. Harri then activated the mic around his neck. "FS-1 to Seaview."

"Seaview here sir," Chip replied.

"Chip, patch me through to Dr. Ferguson," Nelson requested.

"Aye sir, hold on just a minute."

"Kendal here Admiral."

"Kendal the first sensor is away, please check all readouts and let me know how things are going," Harri directed.

There were a few minutes of silence then Kendal replied. "Everything is green across the board Harri. The sensor is reporting a depth of 6500' approximately 800 meters from the center of the trench. It is transmitting readings on all established channels."

"Excellent," Nelson replied. "I'm going to deploy the ROV now and send it down to collect soil, water, dissolved oxygen, and background radiation samples along with some video. Please let me know when you start receiving data from the drone."

"Will do Harri."

With Lee's assistance Harri eased the ROV into the water. He grabbed the control pad and put the drone through a couple of basic maneuvers to ensure it was working properly. He then directed it to rise up in front of FS-1 and activated its video camera. "Smile and wave to the camera, Lee," Harri said as he watched the small monitor. Lee willingly complied waving and mugging for the camera. Harri laughed out loud. "Well everything appears to be operational though the sea life in this area seems a little odd." Lee stuck his tongue out at the drone causing Harri to chuckle again.

"FS-1 this is Kendal, data is coming in loud and clear. Tell Lee he looks just darling," she teased.

"Copy that Seaview," Harri replied chuckling as he took in Lee's slight blush and embarrassed smile.

Finding all systems go he dispatched the little machine down towards the area where the sensor had settled to collect the required samples. As they watched the lights of the drone disappear into the darkness below they got an urgent call from Seaview.

"Seaview to FS-1, come in FS-1."

"FS-1 here, go ahead Seaview, what's wrong Chip?" Lee asked.

"There's been a large magnitude quake, initial reading 7.6, 800 miles west of our position, turbulence expected in 5 minutes, recommend you shallow up a bit Lee," Chip replied.

"Copy that Seaview. We're paying out line to the ROV now and decreasing our depth to 3,000'."

"We read you Skipper, hold on tight it's going to be a bumpy ride."

Lee sprang into action moving FS-1 closer to the surface while Harri quickly stowed any loose equipment lying about. Just has he finished shutting the storage locker and belting back into his seat the shockwave hit tossing the little sub about like someone shaking a matchbox. Both men tightly gripped the armrests and held on for the ride. After about 30 seconds the action tapered off and the ocean returned to its previous state.

Lee quickly completed a scan of all his systems and found everything to be operational. Meanwhile Harri was running through the diagnostics on the ROV and found that it was still intact and had nearly completed its programmed tasks.

Lee looked over at Harri let out a sigh of relief and smiled. "You okay sir?" Nelson nodded. "Well that was a fun and thrilling way to start the day. Everything checks out here as operational how about our little friend on the bottom?"

"It seems to have withstood the shake just fine. It still needs to collect the soil sample and then we can retrieve the unit and move on to the next site," Harri answered.

Lee nodded then activated his throat mic. "Seaview this is FS-1, come in."

"Seaview here, Lee. How are you two doing out there?" Chip asked.

"A tad shaken but we're still green across the board, how about you there on Seaview?"

"We've got a couple bruised egos but aside from that we came through the turbulence just fine. The seat belts really came in handy, far fewer flying bodies when we met with the brunt of that wave," Chip replied. "Great way to start off the mission don't you think?"

"Well that's what we came to study," Lee replied with a chuckle. "The admiral is retrieving the ROV right now. Once that's aboard we'll move on to our next site about 240 miles west southwest of our current position. When we get on site I'll radio in and you can bring Seaview towards us."

"Copy that Skipper," Chip acknowledged. "Oh Kendal says to pass on that data is streaming in from the ROV and the sensor so all appears to be good."

"Excellent," Harri chimed in. "Chip keep an eye out for any aftershocks following that jolt, a shake that big should generate some sizeable temblors as everything adjusts to the change."

"Roger that Admiral, we've already got our eyes and ears peeled for so much as a halibut sneeze."

Harri and Lee laughed. "Alright Chip, we appreciate that," Lee replied as he rose from his seat to help Harri haul the ROV back aboard.

()()()()()

As it planned its escape and plotted its revenge, something small and submerged in the ocean above the trench drew its attention. It quickly scanned the object finding a metal hulled vessel hovering below the surface directly over the trench at the eastern most point. It had noticed these vessels before but had not paid them much mind. In its scan of the object it found there were a number of _them_ aboard and something else, something unexpected and most needed in its bid for freedom. It detected the nuclear reactions that occurred in the vessel's power plant and something even more remarkable and desirable in the area called the missile room.

Weapons, thermonuclear weapons were housed there, large ones, powerful ones. Detonated in unison just above the weakest point in the rift they had the capability to wrench open the seam at the bottom of the sea floor releasing it from its prison sooner than planned. It was incapable of physically manipulating complex objects beyond its prison cell so it would need to influence or coerce them into doing its bidding. It would speak to them in their dreams; convince them that to solve the problems they were sent to study they need only detonate their missiles at the deepest point along the trench and all would be right with their world.

They had been sent by their kind to investigate the reason for the increased seismic activity in this part of their world. Its efforts to escape its prison were the cause of that activity, the earthquakes a byproduct of its attempts to separate the plates sealing it in. It had their attention but needed to draw them in, draw them nearer to the target. It had to be careful now to not overwhelm the small craft, destroying it before it arrived at the epicenter or cause them to abandon their quest because the region became too dangerous in which to operate. Patience and restraint must become its watchwords; it had to keep working at its bonds enough to keep them engaged in determining the cause but not too vigorously that the earthquakes became so violent that they fled in fear.

()()()()()

Deployment of the sensors proceeded as scheduled even given the occasional turbulence generated following the earthquakes along the trench. The quakes had increased in frequency yet had declined in magnitude from their first sensor deployment, making their task easier but the change in the seismic pattern confounded Nelson and his fellow scientists studying the data generated by their equipment. At the moment there was no logical reason for the shift and no indications as to why things had changed.

They had conducted numerous sorties deploying nearly half of their sensors and many of those trips had included Kendal allowing her to deploy the NASA remote vehicles and sensors. As she collected her readings and processed them through her computer programs a disturbing picture was beginning to emerge. It seemed as though the resulting changes in magnetic north had accelerated once again shifting miles in a day as opposed to a few miles over a year and the earthquakes seemed to her, to have taken on a timed frequency and regimented magnitude as though being intentionally controlled.

Another unusual development she noticed was the appearance of a dead zone for certain parameters they were monitoring as they drew nearer to the epicenter of the seismic activity. There was nothing Kendal had encountered in the past that could explain this odd anomaly; it simply didn't make sense. She reprogrammed certain sensors to try and penetrate the zone but after an initial scan where data was received, the subsequent scans were immediately blocked. As improbable as it seemed, there appeared to be an intelligence involved here that was desperately trying to hide certain aspects of its activity deep within core of the planet. The mere thought of that sent a shiver down her spine.

Kendal worked for NASA and was a highly regarded astrophysicist in the international community. Her entire field of work and personal focus was to investigate the universe in hopes of understanding the processes in effect and to hopefully one day encounter beings from some other planet. She long held the belief that there had to be billions, if not trillions of intelligent civilizations across the vast expanse of the universe, but the thought of one already being here on earth and involved in what was occurring on this planet frightened her.

She desperately needed to share her findings and discuss the implications with someone to get a gauge on how reasonable her theories were but was hesitant to say them out loud for rather obvious reasons. Here she had access to one of the greatest scientific minds on the planet and yet she was reluctant to share them with Harri on the off chance that he would label her a kook and arrange an immediate flight on FS-1 to dump her butt unceremoniously on shore. He and in fact all those working on Seaview, especially the captain and XO, were startlingly open minded and willing to listen to what didn't necessarily adhere to common beliefs. Having been so easily accepted by the men on Seaview she dearly hoped that they would fully hear her out as she presented her rather startling theory before they shipped her off.

After much internal debate Kendal finally made the decision to bring her findings to Harri and let the chips fall where they may. Steeling her resolve she exited her cabin and walked down the corridor to the admiral's cabin and knocked. She was immediately beckoned in.

"Kendal, what can I do for you?" Harri asked as he watched her walk in somewhat hesitantly.

"Admiral Nelson I need to show you the results of my last few scans and then give you my theory on what I think those results mean. Do you have a few minutes to review this data?"

Nelson looked at her startled by the sudden degree of formality in her manner of address. "By all means Dr. Ferguson, please pull up a chair and show me what you have."

Kendal opened up her laptop and set it down in front of the admiral then began displaying the scans taken over the last week and a half. She pointed out the anomalies and the troublesome dead zone she had encountered starting 6 days ago. She described her attempts to adjust the probe's sensors to penetrate the dead zone to obtain readings and identified the sweep where she was able to get readings and then in the subsequent sweeps the signals were suddenly blocked due to another shift in frequency.

Harri sat there quietly reviewing the data asking the occasional question to clarify some of the results. Kendal tried desperately to gauge his response to this information but had found the man suddenly inscrutable. Unable to determine whether he believed her data or not, she finally decided to go for broke and offer her theory that there was an intelligence influencing what was going on down at the earth's core and it was trying desperately to obscure their attempts to monitor those actions.

Having provided the entire package she sat back in her chair and watched quietly as Harri mentally processed all she had said. The longer the silence went on the surer she was that she needed to head to her cabin and start packing her bags before Jamie showed up with the long sleeved jacket that buttoned in the back.

After a full ten minutes of agonizing silence Harri shifted in his chair and focused his gaze on the young woman sitting next to him. "Wow, you never fail to astound me Kendal. Looking at everything you've brought me, I'm inclined to agree with your theories and conclusions."

Kendal released a highly audible sigh of relief at Harri's pronouncement. He looked at her and smiled amused by the sense of relief that seemed to wash over her body. "I take it that was not the response you were anticipating?"

"In all honesty Harri, no it was not. I was more than 90% sure you were going to call Jamie down here to sedate me, pour me into FS-1 and leave me onshore at one of the local psychiatric hospitals," she replied with a laugh.

"No my dear lady, that didn't even enter my mind. Actually what you've discovered provides the most logical answer to the events we've observed and I can't say I'm all that surprised," Harri replied. Kendal shot him an astonished look that demanded an explanation of his comment.

"This is not common knowledge beyond the crew on Seaview and a select few within NIMR, and I would request that you keep this to yourself, but in our journeys we have encountered more than one extraterrestrial entity that has been bent on destroying or enslaving life on this planet. In fact Chip, Lee and I have all been transported to the planet Venus by one of those marauding entities. Luckily thus far we've been able to thwart their attacks and driven them from the planet to try their nefarious plans on some other poor undeserving world."

Kendal sat there stunned by Harri's disclosure. "You've really been to Venus? You've met honest to goodness ETs and done battle with them to save the earth?"

"Yes. I won't lie to you and say that it was easily done; in fact the price of those victories was quite high, especially for Lee. I'm not sure why he's been chosen to bear the brunt of their tests and attacks, whether it's because of his position as captain or if there is something else about him that draws their attention but he has been toyed with and tortured by these extraterrestrial visitors in defense of our world. Luckily for us all he's stood the tests and emerged victorious saving us from slavery or worse. The one thing that seems to be in our favor is that all who've come to take us on have seriously underestimated our capabilities and resolve. I think a lot of that stems from not broadcasting our encounters so anyone watching from a distance can't glean any information regarding our strengths or weaknesses and use that against us."

Kendal sat there just shaking her head in wonder and awe. "Geez Harri you sure know how to turn the tables. Here I thought I was coming in to astound you and test your willingness to consider things well beyond the bounds of current reason and belief and I now find me the one left wondering if all this is possible. Maybe I do want Jamie to come on down with something to readjust my reality."

Harri laughed. "Not on your life. Now we need to pull Lee and Chip into this and start working on a means to verify your theories and determine who or what is trying to shake this planet to pieces and why."


	4. Chapter 4

Its attempt to find the others who had helped capture and contain the entity proved fruitless; it appeared as though it was the only one that remained in this time and space. The others must have faded away long ago finding no compelling reason to continue on in this plane, no longer interested in what transpired across this universe. It was now _The Keeper_, the last pledged to keep those at bay that would seek an end to what is. The lack of allies concerned Keeper making it far more imperative that the enemy be stopped before it managed to breach its cell.

The more Keeper pondered the enemy's actions and influence on the space around it, it came to the conclusion that it had somehow managed to get hold of a physical talisman such as a power stone through which it could harness and focus energies beyond its own to manipulate forces outside its cell. The question was how. They had taken every precaution to ensure that it had been contained in a sterile cell with no access to outside materials. How had it managed to gain possession of such a tool, locked away supposedly blind to all around it?

Keeper stretched its mind back through time and space replaying the history of the small blue planet and groaned in dismay at the simple answer to that question, their lack of foresight may have just sealed this universe's doom should it manage to escape. The small planet since its birth had been subject to a constant barrage of meteors of varying size and composition throughout its existence and some of those meteors carried quantities of power stone. Once deposited on the surface the material became part of the planet's geologic life cycle transported from the surface by the physical processes of wind and water to the various subduction zones to be eventually pulled into the planet's interior and within its reach. The enemy, apparently not as powerless as they had assumed, had managed to obtain a power stone thereby allowing it to tap into and utilize the energies around it.

As it watched the history of this orb Keeper readily recognized its foe's influence on the life that came and went on this small planet, its most telling success evidenced in the actions of the current dominant species. It had pushed and prodded at this life form, humans they called themselves, from the moment they had developed a conscious mind. It infiltrated their dreams when resistance was lowest to influence those of weak will to carry out its instructions. It sought out those hungry for power at any cost and exploited that appetite to push them toward planetary destruction. It had come closest to its goal a mere galactic heartbeat ago as the humans engaged in a global conflict for control of the planet.

It was there fueling the aggressor's side, urging them on to horrific acts of barbarism and targeted genocide thus enraging and spurring on the defenders to develop weapons of cataclysmic potential to beat back and punish those who tried to lay claim to the planet. It was only through the narrowest of margins they as a species had avoided global extinction. Even now Keeper could feel its enemy's attempts to sway the human's behavior to let loose their tools of war to supposedly silence the tremors that threatened to shake their world apart. It wondered too at the other's extremely focused interest in a single location on the planet.

Keeper needed to act and act now if it were going to have any chance at keeping this malevolent force contained. Though certain it would be more than a match for its foe, it would be far better for the universe as a whole to prevent its escape. It would need assistance but was not sure where to look now that the others were gone. As its enemy sought to urge the humans to act in its favor so too could Keeper. It would need to enlist their aid to take control of their destiny and silence the entity locked inside. Keeper had an advantage over its enemy; it could interact with the humans directly as opposed to trying to influence them through dreams and delusions. Keeper once more scanned the planet and it too found the small vessel submerged beneath the ocean cautiously working its way toward its enemy's cell door.

()()()()()

Kendal completed her briefing to the captain and XO regarding the results of her research and theories then watched their faces expectantly just waiting for the looks of disbelief and dismissal of her conclusions as they sat there silently in the admiral's cabin. Lee shot a quick glance at Harri then Chip in what appeared to be a silent conversation between them. Years of working closely together in life and death situations had forged bonds between these men that allowed them to communicate almost telepathically asking and answering questions with only the slightest of nods or a shift of their eyes. The dynamic between them fascinated her.

"Dr. Ferguson," Lee finally said. "Where do you think this intelligence is operating from, a terrestrial location or somewhere off planet?"

Lee's question stunned her and she stared at him momentarily surprised. '_My god he believes me' _she thought to herself. She was totally caught off guard by his rapid acceptance of her theories. Past experiences with the military had always left her digging in her heels in defense of her position. She hadn't really considered Harri as 'military' because his interests and focus was on science and exploring the unknown. She fully expected to have to rely on his pull to back her up and convince them to give her ideas the consideration they were due. She flushed momentarily in embarrassment at her own lack of confidence in Lee's and Chip's ability to honestly listen to and evaluate her theories. She had to quit judging these particular handsomely bound books by their covers.

"Well Captain my guess would be that the source is terrestrially based somewhere in the earth's core. Our attempts to scan certain regions of the trench have been systematically thwarted as we have modified our sensors to try and overcome the interference we've encountered. I would also place it here because of the marked acceleration in the migration of magnetic north and our earlier work suggesting the change in orbital paths of the other planets in our solar system could be traced back to earth. Once I noticed the patterns I contacted some colleagues at SETI* and asked them to review their radio scans for any anomalous transmissions towards this area of the earth. They indicated there was almost a dearth of even background noise usually found in this region. It's as though there's a cone of silence over the area and someone or something is trying to hide what's going on."

"Do you have a hypothesis for the purpose of this focused seismic activity?" Chip asked.

"I've been giving that considerable thought," Kendal replied slipping quickly back into her scientific mien. "Given the fact that the focus is on an area where tectonic plates intersect and represent one of the weaker points of the earth's crust one might surmise that whatever is causing this activity wants to either gain access to the outside world, destroy the planet or both."

Both men sat there quietly considering her responses. "Admiral, do you concur with Dr. Ferguson's assessment of the data and the implications to the planet?" Lee asked.

"Yes Lee or I wouldn't have asked her to present her findings. I think we are once again under attack by some entity bent on destroying our planet," Nelson replied. "I've thoroughly reviewed Kendal's findings and can't readily identify a more logical reason for the dramatic shift in the magnetic north, the extremes in seismic activity along the Aleutian Trench or changes in planetary orbital trajectories. Plotting out the seismic events since our arrival at the trench the pattern damn near resembles a heartbeat given the regularity of the events and the moderated magnitudes."

"Do you think the moderation of the seismic activity since our first experience in the trench is to ensure that we remain in the area Admiral?" Lee asked as he recalled the first earthquake they experienced while deploying the first sensor.

"That's a distinct possibility Lee. I get the oddest feeling that whatever this is it wants us to continue our research and continue moving down the trench toward the epicenter of activity," Harri replied.

"Given that belief sir do we keep on track or back away rapidly and return to Santa Barbara?" Chip asked.

"I think turning tail and running really isn't an option right now. If we were to do so I envision the return of the more extreme seismic events which could have disastrous repercussions on coastal areas in this hemisphere. My inclination is to stay the course but slow down our advance and try to come up with a way to increase the information we're gathering on our scans and hopefully gain a better understanding of what is hiding below," Harri answered. "What do you think Lee?"

"I agree with you sir. I think we should proceed cautiously gathering as much information as we can so we're ready to respond to the greatest extent possible. Am I correct in my assumption that we are going to keep this to ourselves for now?"

"I think that's best, don't you Lee? There's no doubt in my mind that whatever is down there is not our friend and I want to know what we're dealing with before politicians start sticking their noses into the situation. I also want to have some answers before I have to face them." Harri replied. Lee pinched his lower lip considering all that could occur should they notify the government of their suspicions then nodded in agreement.

Kendal watched in rapt fascination as the command crew of Seaview began working through their plans in preparation of taking on this unknown foe. The rapid exchange of ideas and expected consequences for each action proposed flew rapidly between the men as they moved towards a plan of action. After a few moments Harri seemed to realize that she was still in the room.

"Kendal you have a choice you need to make now. If you want we will fly you back to Santa Barbara and you can proceed with your research from the safety of land, or you can remain aboard Seaview and take your chances with us."

Kendal smiled broadly in response to Harri's question. "I'm here until we bring this to a successful conclusion Harri. I've worked my entire life in hopes of encountering an alien life form, I'm not going to turn tail and run now. I'm here to provide you with any assistance I can to make sure we have the best available information before this comes to a head," she replied fervently.

The three men smiled and nodded in approval at her decision and they quite obviously welcomed her skills and abilities as they prepared to move forward. "Well then I think you best pull up a chair and get engaged in what we are planning," Lee replied as he shifted his chair over to allow her to join the group. Kendal returned their smiles and even blushed a bit as she slid her chair between Lee and Chip feeling extremely honored to be included in defending their planet.

()()()()()

They intentionally slowed their progress towards the deepest section of the trench having concluded this is where the entity wanted Seaview most. Harri and Kendal modified their research approach quadrupling the amount of time taken to position each sensor and conducting multiple AUV and ROV runs over multiple days to scan the area. This extra time gave them opportunity to experiment with multiple scanning patterns and programs to try and overcome the dead zone Kendal had discovered. As they added the information they obtained from each successful scan they were slowly developing a more detailed picture of what existed below them.

The pieced together scans were revealing an area of concentrated energy, somewhat similar to a uranium deposit but with a significantly higher energy content. Harri had encountered similar readings before, he recognized the telltale signs of carnotite** immediately. Carnotite was an extremely rare electro-radioactive ore that had only been identified within the last 70 years. Promising almost unlimited power as a fuel for reactors or as a reactive element for nuclear weapons it was incredibly dangerous to work with because of the high levels of theta radiation it emitted. If the entity below had amassed carnotite all it needed was a sufficiently large nuclear detonation to initiate a chain reaction capable of blowing apart the geologic rift where the tectonic plates met and destroying the earth.

()()()()()

Eight weeks into the mission Seaview finally arrived at the epicenter of the seismic activity just above the deepest section of the trench, some 26,600' below sea level. The crew was busily running through their routines readying the diving bell for their initial deployment at this location. This round Harri and Kendal were going down to place four different types of sensors, conduct a series of sweeps with the AUV and collect the requisite samples from the very bottom of the trench.

Up in the control room the crew was closely monitoring the area around them, the hefty shake they had received two days earlier had increased their vigilance a thousand fold. That quake had been a healthy 7.9 on the Richter scale and had seriously tested Seaview's mettle as the vessel pitched and yawed in the roiling turbulence that followed the quake. They had sustained some internal damage almost to the point of ending the mission but their ingenuity and determination in making repairs forestalled that decision for now. Lee moved slowly between the various stations checking with his operators and looking over the readings.

"Skipper!" Kowalski cried out. "Sir there's something huge coming up directly under us and its getting bigger by the second. Estimated contact in 30 seconds."

Lee darted to the sonar station and took in the reading. "Oh my god, Chip sound general quarters have everyone rig for collision! Everyone brace yourselves!"

They had just sealed the door to the bell and Sharkey prepared to give the command to hoist it up for deployment when, the emergency klaxons sounded momentarily freezing everyone in place. "All hands prepare for extreme turbulence, repeat all hands prepare for extreme turbulence. Brace yourselves contact in 15 seconds!" called out Morton's voice. Everyone in the room scrambled to find a handhold to avoid being tossed around the boat yet again.

It started slowly like a subtle shaking then the boat began to roll and pitch wildly from side to side as whatever was below them rose up to encompass the boat. Seconds later they found themselves in a state of freefall as the boat plunged precipitously down through the water. Seaview plummeted like an airliner that had hit a pocket of clear air turbulence suddenly falling thousands of feet into the abyss below. Those crewmen not belted in or otherwise secured found themselves flying up towards the decking above them as the boat dropped like a rock. The freefall seemed to go on forever until they hit what felt like some kind of elastic barrier that slowed them down then slammed them to a halt.

As suddenly as it started the turbulence came to a halt. It was pitch black on the boat, all main systems were offline and the emergency systems had yet to kick in. There was an eerie absolute silence that seemed to grip the boat. Even Seaview had not so much as given up a creak or groan following that horrific ride. After a moment moans of pain could be heard from those injured in the fall all across the boat.

Lee laid there stunned trying desperately to regain his breath. Giving it all he had he slowly rolled over onto his side then gasped in agony as he felt his ribs shift and grind. His head felt as though he'd rammed into a concrete wall and he could feel a wet stickiness rolling down the side of his face and neck. He steeled himself against the pain then pushed up to his feet where he swayed precariously for a moment until he was able to reestablish his equilibrium.

He shuffled forward carefully trying to find a bulkhead or some other structure that would let him reference his position in the blacked out control room. As he reached forward his hand brushed against the periscope railing and he sighed in relief now knowing where he was. His hand moved unerringly to the mic. "This… this is the captain, damage control parties report. Engineering report."

A moment later the emergency lighting kicked in and Lee let loose one more sigh, there was at least someone still alive in engineering. In the smoky red light Lee surveyed the control room around him. Anyone not belted in was now lying dazed or unconscious on the deck, even those attached to their seats had been stunned and sported cuts and bruises from contact with the consoles or equipment in front of them. The captain moved cautiously through the room checking on each man as he came to them to determine what if any medical assistance they might need.

"Ski you okay?" Crane asked as he reached the rating struggling to wake up.

"Yeah…I think so, sir…I just wish the guy with the drum inside my head would knock it off."

"Are you all right to check on the men on the other side of the room?"

"Yes sir," Ski replied as he undid his safety belt and pushed unsteadily to his feet.

"Take a minute to get oriented Ski, I don't need you passing out and causing more damage to yourself," Crane said with a smile as he supported him by the arm until he seemed stable.

"Aye sir, you've got that one right. I'll check the guys then start working on getting the systems up here on line again."

"Thanks Ski," Lee said patting his back then started moving forward again in search of his XO.

He was nearly in the nose now and was becoming concerned having not found Chip. As he rounded the chart table he froze as he spied the unconscious body of his best friend and self-appointed big brother splayed across the floor. He moved as quickly as he could to his side, knelt down and gently laid a finger on the side of his throat in search of a pulse. He let loose a sigh as he detected a steady beat. He could see a dark blotch spreading from his left temple and surmised Chip had made contact head first with one of the bulkheads or the table.

He reached up and grabbed the mic on the side of the table. "Sickbay this is the captain."

After what seemed an eternity he finally got a response. "Sickbay here sir," Jamie replied sounding as shook up as he felt.

"We need a team up here ASAP Jamie, Chip is down and it doesn't look good."

"Aye Skipper. We'll get there as soon as we can muster a team to reach you. How many others require assistance?"

"I can't really answer that yet Jamie; there are at least two other men out cold and a lot of cuts and bruises. Once we get a better handle on things I'll get you an update. Just make it up here when you're able." Lee wasn't about to move Chip not knowing what other injuries he might have sustained. He reached into his back pocket pulled out his clean handkerchief and applied it gently to the gash on Chip's forehead. "Hang on bro Jamie's coming," he said quietly as he gently squeezed his shoulder.

"DC party to Skipper."

"This is the captain, go ahead."

"Sir it looks as though we're tight and dry. The engines, environmental systems and much of the electrical systems including communications are currently out. Teams are at work in each area trying to return control. Engineering estimates 12 hours before they can get the reactor and the engines back on line, the other systems should be operational within the next 1 to 2 hours. The biggest problem we've got is that there are men down all over the boat in need of first aid," Patterson reported.

"Okay Pat keep me informed on the DC's progress. Also get teams together to render first aid to those who are injured until Jamieson or the corpsmen can get to them. Coordinate with sick bay for those that need immediate attention." Lee replied.

"Aye, aye sir."

Lee moved back towards the control room assessing systems and any readings available as he went. He assisted one crewman struggling to rise to his feet. "Gage, are you okay?"

"I…I…think so Skipper. I'm just real wobbly at the moment. Everything seems to be moving including the room."

"Here let me help you up front. I want you to sit down next to the XO and keep an eye on him, along with Rod and Phipps. If any of them starts running into problems call out."

"Aye sir," Gage replied thankful for the opportunity to sit.

"Alright all of you that are able, start checking your systems and let's see about returning operations and finding out where the hell we are," Crane called out. He was met with a number of less than rousing 'Ayes' but if they felt anywhere near as bad as he did that response was as enthusiastic as a cheer.

"Missile room, this is the captain, report."

"Missile room, Skipper," Sharkey replied after a moment.

"What's the status down there Chief? What's the status with the bell?"

"We're tight and dry Skipper, the men are pretty well shaken up with a couple of broken bones but on the whole we came through in good shape given that wild ride. We had yet to start lifting the bell so it's here in the missile room; the admiral and Kendal are still inside. I was just on my way over to crack the hatch when you called, sir."

"Excellent Chief get the bell open and ask the admiral to contact me if he's able."

"Aye, sir." Sharkey shipped the mic and continued over to the bell. He spun the wheel on the hatch and pulled the door open. He was more than thrilled to find a slightly ruffled admiral and doctor inside rubbing their heads where they had made contact with some of the control panels during their rapid descent.

"Admiral, Kendal are you both okay?" Sharkey asked urgently.

"Yes, yes Chief other than being more than a little shaken up. How about you?" Nelson replied as he stepped out of the bell.

"I'm doing fine sir," he replied as he extended a hand to assist Kendal.

"Good to hear Francis," Nelson answered as he patted Sharkey on the shoulder and looked around the room. "What the hell happened?"

"I haven't a clue sir, the world just went crazy there for a minute. I've never in all my days felt a boat drop like that. Sir, the Skipper would like you to give him a call if you're able."

Nelson nodded, moved over to the side of the dive chamber and picked up the mic. "Crane this is Nelson."

"Crane here. Good to hear your voice sir, are you and Kendal all right?" Lee replied, the relief in his voice very evident.

"We're shaken up a bit but no significant damage. How about you and the rest of the crew?"

"I'm fine sir. Chip is down hard, looks like he rammed head on into a control panel or the chart table and there are a couple of others here in the control room yet to regain consciousness. I've talked to Jamie and he indicated that he was okay and was trying to assemble teams to start retrieving the injured and getting them to sick bay. The bulk of the damage seems to be to personnel as opposed to the boat so Jamie and his boys are really going to have their hands full patching everyone up."

"What about the boat?"

"Miraculously everything remains tight and dry. Most major systems are offline but DC indicated that electrical and environmental systems should be back within the hour. The reactor and engines are going to take about 12 hours to be repaired and brought on line. The majority of control room personnel are in good shape and already working on returning our eyes and ears as we speak."

"Okay, now here's the million dollar question, what the hell happened? That didn't feel like any burst of turbulence I've ever experienced."

"That's a fact sir. Just before we got hit sonar picked up a huge mass rising from the bottom of the trench. I think it was a massive gas bubble somehow released from the ocean floor. There was so much gas and the area so wide it reduced the density of the water and it was no longer capable of supporting Seaview. We dropped like a rock through basically clear space until the gas passed by us and no longer displaced the water," Lee offered.

"Oh my god! Skipper you gotta see this," Ski cried out.

Lee moved quickly over to where Ski was working on the fathometer. "What is it Ski?"

"Sir, look at this. It says that we're over 19,000' below crush depth." Ski said grimly.

"That's not possible," Lee replied as he quickly reset and tested the gauge.

"Nelson to Crane, what is it? What's wrong?"

"Sir, are you able to come to the con?"

"On my way Lee," Nelson replied. "Chief, please escort Kendal back to her quarters."

"Harri I'm fine. If it's all right with you I'll head down to sick bay and see if Jamie needs any assistance. I used to work as a ski patrol to finance college so I've had quite a bit of first aid and EMT training and experience," Kendal offered.

Harri smiled and squeezed her arm. "Thank you Kendal, I think Jamie will be thrilled with the extra help."

"Great, I'm on my way then," she said as she headed out the missile room hatch.

()()()()()

As Lee moved from station to station trying to confirm Kowalski's reading the lights and ventilation suddenly clicked on resulting in a relieved sigh from everyone in the control room. Moments later Doc stepped through the aft hatch along with a couple of crewmen and a stretcher.

"Glad to see you Jamie," Lee said as he and the doctor exchanged appraising looks of each other. Jamie knew immediately Lee was in pain most likely covering up at the bare minimum damaged ribs and a concussion but had to let it drop for the moment. "Chip is up near the chart table and Rod and Phipps are nearby; Gage has been sitting with them keeping an eye on them."

Jamie nodded and waved his team forward. He knelt down next to the exec and began conducting a preliminary assessment of his condition. There was a sizeable gash under the handkerchief Gage kept pressed against Chip's head; his pupils were reactive but unequal signaling a concussion. As he checked the rest of his body for injuries he found a couple of broken ribs and a fractured right ulna.

Jamie quickly applied a dressing to the head wound and immobilized the fractured arm then his corpsmen gently placed him on the stretcher and prepared him for transport to sick bay. As he was being carted out Jamie moved to each of the other injured men and conducted similar assessments of them. The two men still unconscious had injuries similar to Chip's; he applied quick field dressings to the cuts and splints to the fractured limbs. Once done with that he did a quick review of the walking wounded and was relieved to find nothing more serious than bruises, cuts and scrapes. He applied bandages where needed happy no one needed more significant immediate medical attention with the probable exception of the captain.

"Lee you need to come down to sick bay and let me take a look at you," Jamie said as he more closely scrutinized the skipper. "At the very least you have a concussion and by the way you're limiting the use of your left arm and your shallow breathing I'm willing to bet you've cracked or broken a few ribs."

"Not right now Jamie, I've got to get things back on line and see about getting us out of here before I can allow myself to fall into your clutches," Lee replied with a small smile. "With Chip down I have to be here. Once things have quieted down I'll come see you."

Jamie nodded knowing there was no way he'd win this battle given their current situation. "At least step into the nose and let me clean and bandage that wound on your head."

Lee quickly scanned the con and was satisfied with the crew's progress towards making repairs. "All right Jamie I'd appreciate that and maybe a couple of aspirin too if you've got 'em."

They turned and walked to the admiral's porch where Jamie had Lee sit down then quickly cleaned the cut above his left eye; it really needed to be sutured but the odds of pulling that one off were slim to none. He applied a couple of butterfly bandages to the cut to hold things together until he could properly stitch it shut. As he was finishing up Nelson entered the control room and spotted them forward in the nose.

"Lee I thought you said you were fine." Nelson said his voice full of concern.

"I am sir. Jamie is just cleaning up a cut that's all," Lee replied with a smile.

"He most certainly is not fine, but that's not unusual Admiral. He's got a concussion and most likely cracked or broken ribs. I'm not naïve enough to think I can get him down to sick bay for an exam so I'll leave him here under your watchful eyes until you can pry him out of the con," Jamie stated with a hint of exasperation.

Nelson nodded knowingly. "In any other situation I'd order him down to sick bay but we need him here as long as he's able to be here without causing further damage himself. Once things are better under control you will see his reluctant six come across your threshold, Doctor. This also gives you a chance to take care of the rest of the crew without having to keep your eyes on him to prevent an escape."

Lee let loose a frustrated sigh and rolled his eyes. He hated being talked about as though he was a five year old. "I'm sitting right here and I'm quite capable of taking care of myself you know."

"Not so we've noticed," Jamie shot back. "I need to get back to sick bay, call me if you need me." Harri laughed and nodded while Lee just scowled at him as he left the con.

"Come on son, show me what has you so concerned," Harri said as he helped Lee to his feet.

"Sir according to the fathometer we're over 19,000' below our crush depth. There's no way that that is possible but we _**are**_ currently sitting at roughly 24,000' below sea level."

Harri's eyes grew wide as all the implications of their situation hit him. "You're sure?"

"Yes sir, we've got enough of the systems up and running to confirm our depth. I have no clue as to what is keeping the outside pressure from crushing us like an empty beer can but for the moment I'm thankful. I'm not sure if you felt it during our descent, but there was a moment when it felt as though we had hit something almost rubbery which slowed us down rapidly then we jerked to a stop. I'm wondering if we're somehow trapped within a gas bubble of sorts." Lee explained.

"Yes I noted that as well. It kind of felt like a parachute opening up and the rapid deceleration you experience as it deploys."

"Exactly."

"Have you checked the outside cameras yet?" Harri asked.

"No I haven't had a chance to do that. I've been too focused on getting the critical systems back on line. James, are the cameras and outside lights available?"

"Yes sir, we've just returned power to all the external systems. I'll turn them on for you now sir," Lt. James replied.

As the lights flared to life outside the sub, Harri and Lee moved towards the front windows to check out the view. The lights revealed a dark and foreboding landscape unaccustomed to light of any sort. Fish resembling something from a nightmare moved slowly past the windows as they investigated the intruder to their realm. At the very edge of the light's reach there seemed to be a reflective membrane or barrier that they could just make out. Harri moved to the bank of video monitors and turned them on to view the rest of the area around the boat. A similar sight was evident all around Seaview, a fly trapped in a bubble encased in black amber jumped to mind.

"I think your theory of us being inside a bubble is pretty close to correct Lee and you're right there's no way we should even be alive," Harri replied.

"So now for the big question, how do we get from here to the surface without popping said bubble and compressing ourselves into the proverbial pancake? We have no idea how delicate that structure is and what might cause it to rupture. I don't even want to risk launching the emergency locator beacon for fear of tearing the membrane."

"Agreed, we don't want to start moving around until we have some idea about what that is. I'm hesitant to release any sort of external probe for fear that we might puncture the structure and…well you know. Are our external sensing systems back on line yet?"

"Yes sir. We've got radar, sonar, hydrophone, fathometer and radiological detection systems operational," Lee answered.

"Good I'm going to start pouring over the readings and see if I can discern anything about that thing's structure. In the meantime why don't you head down to sick bay and let Doc check you over?"

"No sir. I still need to get down to engineering and check on things there along with the circuitry room and environmental control. This little adventure has left us extremely short handed for the moment so I need to make sure we've got things covered. When I know we're as stable as we can be then I'll drop down and check on Chip and the rest of the injured."

"Lee you do us no good if you collapse from your very apparent injuries," Nelson pointed out. Lee's expression hardened letting Harri know there was no way he was taking a chance on winding up confined to sick bay while his boat was still in disarray. "Alright but take it easy son."

"Mr. James, you have the con," Lee said over his shoulder. The transfer of command was readily acknowledged. Lee smiled at Harri then turned and headed slowly out the aft hatch to conduct a thorough inspection of his boat and to touch base with his men to let them know they were working on a way out of this mess.

()()()()()

It had the vessel; it had captured them and pulled them deeper into the trench closer to the ocean floor. It nestled them gently as though the boat were a small bird in the hollow of its hands, protected from the crushing forces all around it. They had the tools it needed to successfully breach the rift and release it from its horrid prison but much to its dismay it had been unable to convince them through its whispers in their dreams that setting off their bombs would resolve their problems. Those who commanded this vessel were unmoved or immune to its subliminal messages. How could it urge them, cajole them, force them to let loose their nuclear weapons here at the bottom of the sea?

Those that controlled this vessel were not like most it had dealt with in the past; they resisted its prods and held resolutely to their own ideas and beliefs. Logic seemed to rule their world, actions and potential reactions were always examined before they moved forward. They had no lust for power on the grand scale and wanted only to find a way to preserve their planet not rule over it. They seemed steadfastly opposed to using their weapons as if they somehow knew they would ignite a reaction that would not stop until their planet existed only as fragments floating in space. Even those who followed them rebuffed its message, they implicitly trusted those who ruled them and gave no thought to seizing control or releasing the weapons themselves.

It fumed and fretted in its tiny cell, the key to its release was so tantalizingly close yet just out of reach. It howled in anger and frustration. It needed to find a way to shatter their resolve and force their hand to meet its needs. It focused its huge and terrible mind on the problem desperately looking for the chink in their armor that would turn them to its will. As it ran through options it noticed something different in its prison for the very first time. Regarding one small section of its' cell it found pinpoints of light, light from the outside world now shone in the darkness like distant stars. It reached out and touched them and as it touched them it smiled.

()()()()()

* Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence - the collective name for a number of activities undertaken to search for intelligent extraterrestrial life. SETI projects use scientific methods in this search. For example, electromagnetic radiation is monitored for signs of transmissions from civilizations on other worlds.

** Season One: Mutiny


	5. Chapter 5

()()()()()

Kendal made her way quickly down to sick bay to offer her services to Jamie but upon her arrival she found the room empty and a complete mess. She assumed that Jamie and his corpsmen were out somewhere on the boat retrieving an injured man and would be back shortly. Seeing the need, she immediately started picking up the supplies spilled across the floor and began sorting them into various piles for more rapid access.

About 15 minutes later she heard the corpsmen coming down the hall with their patient. As they entered they gave a brief start at seeing Kendal in the office tidying up the place. She smiled at them briefly until she recognized the unconscious figure on the stretcher.

"Oh my god Chip! Is he going to be okay? " Kendal asked as she moved out of their way.

"I think so, it looks like a moderate concussion and a couple of broken bones," John explained. "Is there something you need Dr. Ferguson, are you injured?"

Just then Jamie entered sick bay catching the last bit of their conversation. "Are you injured Kendal?"

"No I'm not hurt. Jamie I was wondering if I could be of some help. I used to work as a ski patrol at a major ski resort and have had extensive first aid and EMT training along with lots of experience with broken bones and soft tissue injuries."

If there hadn't been corpsmen in the room Jamie would have kissed her. The look of relief on his face at the unexpected source of assistance gave her all the answer she needed.

"Kendal you are more than welcome to join in on the fun. Given that ride we all just went through I anticipate a full house in short order. If you would be good enough to continue straightening up the place and then checking in the injured as they arrive that would be a huge help. Once we get things in operational order I'll press you into service doing preliminary assessments and working triage if that is okay."

"Sure Jamie, anything you need," Kendal said as she grabbed a broom and began sweeping broken glass and other debris into a pile.

Jamie smiled then returned his attention to the man lying on the gurney. "Frank I need x-rays of Commander Morton's skull, chest and right forearm. John see if you can find another able bodied man to help with the stretcher and head back up to the control room to collect Rod and Phipps."

"Will do Doc, be back in a flash," John replied as he grabbed the stretcher and headed out the door.

"Yes Doctor, I'm on it," Frank said as he had already begun stripping the XO out of his uniform. As the shirt came off it was immediately evident he had met up hard with the chart table in the control room. "Oh you're gonna feel this when you come to Mr. Morton," he said wincing as he looked at the extensive bruising and the bulge over his broken ribs.

As Kendal finished straightening things up the line of injured had begun to form outside the sick bay door. She sighed knowing it was going to be a very long day for Jamie and his staff, she was just glad she could help out in some small way.

()()()()()

Lee walked as rapidly as he could through the various areas of the boat checking on repairs and lending a hand where needed. As he moved from section to section he noted that nearly half the crew was missing having been injured enough during their plunge to the bottom of the sea to take them temporarily out of commission as they too awaited repairs. Even though they were shorthanded repairs had been made to the majority of the affected systems with exception of the reactor and engines.

He finally made his way to the reactor room to see if he could help bring the reactor back online. As he entered he noted that only the chief engineer (aka Cheng) and his lead rating Graves were working on the system as the rest of the men stationed here had been injured and sent to sick bay.

"How's she looking Mark?" Lee inquired.

"Oh hi Skipper," Cheng replied looking up from the consoles he was working on. "Well, all things considered we're not in too bad a shape. That little drop we experienced knocked a lot of things out of alignment. The reactor SCRAMMED almost instantly so there was no release of radiation and no damage to the rods. Coolant levels are nominal and there appear to be zero leaks anywhere in the system. The jolt we took when we stopped shorted out a number of relays in a couple of the control panels so Graves is busy replacing those. Right now I'm working on realigning the rods so we can get the reactor warmed back up and running. Once that's done we'll tackle the engines."

"Excellent, do you need an extra hand?" Lee inquired.

Mark smiled as eyed his obviously injured CO, he looked worse than most of the men he'd sent to sick bay. No one could ever doubt the man's dedication to his vessel and his crew. "I think we're good for right now Skipper. Graves is just about done with his repairs then all that's left is fine tuning the alignment of the rods and between the two of us we can knock that out in short order. Once we get that done the reactor has to warm up and while it's doing that we'll be focusing on the engines. Initial reports are that we suffered minor damage on some of the engine controls which we hopefully can get repaired without too much trouble. I'm hoping most of my crew will be back from sick bay by the time we move to the engine room."

"Okay Cheng, if you're sure. If you do need some help give a call and I'll come on down and give you a hand."

"Aye sir, I'll keep you apprised."

()()()()()

Having touched base with all sections except sick bay, Lee made his way back to the control room. He spotted the admiral sitting up in the nose reviewing print outs and entering data into his laptop. He updated Lt. James on the status of repairs as he still had the con and was likewise briefed on the status in the control room. Happy with the progress they'd made, Lee patted James on the back and headed forward to brief the admiral.

"Any luck sir?" Lee asked as he walked over to the sideboard and poured a cup of coffee. He raised the carafe towards Nelson silently asking if he wanted a refill but Harri waved it off.

"Some. How are repairs coming to the boat?" Nelson asked taking in his battered captain's appearance.

Lee sat down gingerly across from the admiral, stifling a groan as his broken ribs protested the movement. He sipped gratefully on the hot coffee and relished being off his feet for the moment. "Repairs on most systems are complete the only things remaining are the reactor and engines. Cheng has almost got the reactor ready for restart and then they'll move on to the engines while the reactor warms up. The biggest problem we have is injured personnel, at least 50% of the men are injured to the point they need medical treatment so that is going to put a real strain on those on duty now to shoulder the burden until their replacements can return."

"How are things in sick bay," Harri ask nonchalantly as he continued to peruse his readouts.

"I haven't made it down there yet, I didn't want to get in Jamie's way." Lee replied eyes down talking into his cup of coffee.

Harri looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. "I just bet. Lee you look like 20 miles of bad road son, you need to go down there and get taken care of before you collapse."

"I'm fine, sir," Lee replied somewhat petulantly. "As I said once we get things up and running I'll go see Jamie… So you said you've had some success in figuring out what that thing is around us?"

Harri narrowed his eyes as he looked at Lee and harrumphed at his quite obvious attempt to change the subject. "Yes. Best as I can tell we're encapsulated in a force field of some sort. I haven't been able to locate the source or get much more information on the composition and nature of the field or how fragile it may be. We seem to be floating on a cushion of water so we may be able to deploy one of the smaller AUVs via the moon pool and get additional readings but I want to study what information we've got first before I risk taking that step."

"I concur with you there sir. The last thing we need is for that thing to go pop."

Both men nodded and then stared distractedly out the front windows as a couple of fish swam warily past. Their reverie was broken by a hail from the Cheng. "Captain this is engineering."

Lee pushed up carefully from the table unable to hide the wince of pain as he stood. He walked over to the mic and picked it up. "Crane here, what is it Mark?"

"Sir just wanted to let you know that the reactor is now on line and working properly. We should have full power available in approximately 6 hours. I've got five of my guys back from sick bay and we are moving on to the engines to affect repairs there."

"Well done Cheng. Go ahead and make repairs but take no actions to engage the engines without specific approval from me or the admiral is that clear?" Lee replied.

"Yes sir. I'll let you know when we've got everything repaired."

"Great, thank you. Crane out." Lee replaced the mic and eased his way back to the table and perched on one corner. "Well that's a step in the right direction. At least we have power back to keep everything inside running, the big question now is how do we get the hell out of here?"

"We keep taking things one step at a time. Now that the reactor issue is resolved and Cheng has a good portion of his staff back, there's absolutely no reason for you not to go check on Chip in sick bay," Harri said fighting hard to bite back a smile.

Lee glowered at him then sighed in resignation, which his ribs did not appreciate in the least. "Aye, aye sir, I'll let you know how's he's doing."

()()()()()

Things in sick bay had finally begun to slack off as those in need of urgent care had been taken care of and it was down to the 'minor' injuries. Kendal had the patients flowing smoothly to Jamie and the corpsmen giving them enough time to treat each man. She efficiently triaged the injuries as they came in ensuring those needing immediate care moved to the head of the line.

As she was conducting an initial patient evaluation she noticed that those waiting in line seemed to suddenly stand a little straighter and were more alert. Looking up she immediately spotted the reason why as the captain worked his way down the line of injured speaking with the men and assuring them that they were doing everything possible to get them all out of this.

Taking in Lee's appearance she cringed at the sight. It was more than obvious the man was hurting despite his attempts to hide it and probably should have been one of the first ones through the door. She'd never seen him look so tired and washed out. Lee bid her a quick hello before he walked into sick bay to check on his men.

He made his way directly to Chip's bunk and looked down at him in concern. He had a large bandage on his forehead, his chest was securely swaddled in tape and elasticized bandages and his arm sported an air cast. He was still unconscious which worried him most; it had been nearly 10 hours since they'd hit the air pocket. He reached down and picked up Chip's left hand and gave it a squeeze. "Come on bro, we need you back with us," he said softly.

Lost in worry over Chip's condition, Lee jumped slightly at the touch of Jamie's hand on his shoulder. He looked back and smiled at the haggard looking CMO standing behind him.

"He's going to be fine Skipper. He took a really heavy blow to the head and even as hard as it is it still rattled things around inside pretty good," Jamie said. "He's been flirting with consciousness for the last couple of hours so he could come around at any time."

"Thanks Jamie. How is the rest of the crew doing?"

"We've got five more cases like Chip and we're watching them all closely. The bulk of the damage amounts to broken bones, sprains, strains and cuts. The majority of the men should be back on duty by tomorrow."

"That's good to hear," Lee replied tiredly.

"Now that I've got you here it's time we take care of your injuries Captain."

"I don't have time for that right…"

"Yes you do or I will declare you medically unfit and confine you to sick bay. I'm quite serious about this Lee. You've taken care of the boat and by the sound of things on the intercom everything is almost back to normal. You're barely moving your left arm at all which tells me you've got some serious damage under that shirt. A misstep or fall could run one of those broken ribs through a lung and then we really would have problems," Jamie replied. "Kendal, would you please do a preliminary assessment of the captain's condition while I finish setting this broken leg?"

"Right away Doctor," Kendal replied with a small smile. "Captain if you would come over here and remove your shirt I'll get you taken care of and ready for Jamie's worst."

Lee scowled at Jamie then shook his head and followed Kendal over to the makeshift exam room in Jamie's office. He slowly unbuttoned his shirt and gingerly eased it off. Kendal's involuntary gasp at the discoloration on his chest and back was enough to tell him things weren't going to go well.

"My god Lee you should have come down here first thing. Without even touching you I can tell you've broken at least three ribs. Come on lay down and let me see what else is going on."

Lee eased himself onto the table and let Kendal help him down. She quickly took his vitals and then began her exam.

"Nice cut on the forehead, that's going to need a few stitches," she commented. She did a quick look at his eyes and confirmed that he had a mild concussion. Next she moved on to his ribs and carefully prodded his left side identifying four probable breaks and a couple of cracks. The minute she touched him she felt him tense and try to bite back a groan in pain. She was honestly amazed that he was still upright and had been walking around since this happened.

During the course of her exam she noticed the multiple scars on his torso some old, some not so old; he quite obviously had seen a lot of action and had come away with some nasty souvenirs. Harri had said something about Seaview's previous encounters with aliens and how the cost of victory over them had been high, especially for Lee. She wondered if any of these scars were a result of those encounters.

Continuing her exam her hand touched a relatively new scar on his right side just above his waist causing him to involuntarily flinch. "Did that hurt?" she asked concerned that he might have internal injuries.

"No, it's just a touchy reminder of an unsettling accident," Lee replied cryptically as he fought down memories of Krueger and the admiral shooting him.

"Oh, okay... Well Captain just lie back, relax and John will be by in a minute to get x-rays of those ribs."

Lee closed his eyes and nodded. Kendal finished up her notes and passed them off to Jamie now that he had finished with the broken leg he'd been tending to. He quickly perused the write up and nodded.

"Thanks Kendal, I suspected as much. I think I'm going to have to keep you around, he seems to be a whole lot more polite with you." Jamie shot a quick glance over to his skipper expecting a grimace or scowl for the slight jab, the fact Lee hadn't reacted at all told him just how tired and how much in pain the man was. Jamie watched as John walked over to take the skipper into the x-ray room. "John, rush the film on the captain's x-rays please."

"Sure thing Doc."

Fifteen minutes later John handed Jamie the x-rays. "Damn, looks like he managed to break five of them this time. No wonder he isn't using his left arm." Jamie moved over to the gurney and noticed Lee had at some point fallen asleep. Knowing that's what he really needed most Jamie was hard pressed to wake him but the ribs needed to be attended to since he never knew when the man would bolt out of sick bay to save the day.

Touching Lee's right shoulder Jamie gently shook him. "Skipper…Lee…Can you wake up for me? Lee I need to take care of your ribs then you can sleep all you want."

Lee moaned softly as he slowly pulled himself awake. "Wha…what is it Jamie?"

"Come on Lee I need to sit you up so I can stitch your head and stabilize your broken ribs. You hit the jackpot today with five that puts Chip's two to shame."

Lee chuffed as he struggled to sit up. "Can't let him out do me, one must maintain appearances for the crew."

Jamie chuckled as he got Lee upright and stable on the table. He quickly injected a local anesthetic in Lee's forehead and sutured the gash he had there. Next he pulled out his trusty med tape and went to work encasing his left side in adhesive armor then followed that up with a tightly wrapped elasticized bandage.

"There that should make it a tad easier to breathe and make it safer for you to be up and about. Now I'm going to give you a shot for the pain, and only because space here in sick bay is at a premium, I'm sending you to your cabin for some badly needed sleep. You're on the edge of exhaustion Lee and if you don't recharge soon you're going to crash and crash hard."

"You need to follow your own prescription Doctor," Lee replied seeing the exhaustion written across Jamie's face as well.

"Believe me I will. We're just about done here and then I will be sending people off, myself included, to get some badly needed rest. If I know you, you've been up over 24 hours already so don't give me any grief on this," Jamie ordered. He turned back towards Kendal and waved her over to them. "Kendal would you please escort the good captain here to his quarters and then you head to yours for the next 8 hours. We've got everything here pretty much taken care of thanks to your help."

Kendal smiled at the scowl Lee shot at Jamie. "Come on Captain, we've got our orders and I've seen what he does with those needles when people don't comply."

Lee returned her smile and carefully eased himself off the gurney with Jamie's help. "Alright, I'll go but only because I don't want to get you in trouble with Jamie."

"Yep I'm definitely keeping you on board Kendal just to handle senior officers. It would have taken me several threats and a 4 star retired admiral to get that concession." Jamie said as they made their way towards the door. "At least 6 hours Lee, that's a medical order."

()()()()()

The walk back to Lee's cabin was at a very slow pace, it was the best that he was able to manage. In the short amount of time he had been laid out on the gurney all his stressed and strained muscles had decided to tighten up and each and every bruise was loudly announcing its existence. He was having an extremely tough time not groaning out loud as he and Kendal made their way down the corridor.

When they reached his cabin door Lee placed a hand on Kendal's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Thanks Kendal for all you've done to help out in this crisis. I know Jamie appreciates it as do I."

Kendal blushed at Lee's heartfelt thanks, she was just happy there was something she could do to help and really didn't need to be thanked. What she really did need was to be wrapped up tight in his strong and sheltering arms like a child and to be told that she was safe and everything was going to be all right. She was more than a little scared and it was becoming a real effort to keep that fear tamped down. "You're more than welcome Lee, I was glad I had something to offer to lighten Jamie's load a bit," she squeaked out after a moment accompanied with a wan smile.

"You're doing a fantastic job handling this situation; especially given you're new to all of this. Harri is working hard trying to figure out what's got us trapped down here and how to best make our escape. I have every confidence in him as should you. He has a reputation for pulling off miracles and based on personal experience believe me it's well deserved," Lee said returning her weak smile.

"Thanks Lee. I must admit this is all a bit nerve wracking but I have every confidence in him, and you to get us out of this. He told me about some of your adventures in the past and I'm sure he'll come up with something…Well it's time we both got some rest. Do you need me to help you with anything before I go to my cabin?"

"No I'll be fine. Go get some rest and hopefully things will look better in the morning," Lee replied as he opened the door to his cabin. "Good night Kendal, sleep well."

"You too Lee. Good night."

()()()()()

Lee trudged wearily into his cabin and clicked on the lamp on his desk. He couldn't recall ever feeling this drained and exhausted. Between the stress of their current situation trapped thousands of feet below their crush depth, damage to his boat and personnel and the toll of his injuries he was at the edge of collapse. Jamie was right he needed rest or he would be of no use to anyone.

Thanks to the pain killer and the tape job on his ribs the pain was at least tolerable now although he had developed a nagging headache no doubt from the concussion. He walked into the small head in his cabin, turned on the light and opened the medicine cabinet to grab some aspirin. He opened the bottle and poured three tablets into his hand and popped them into his mouth. He then turned on the faucet and collected a handful of water to wash them down. As the cool water flowed out of the tap Lee splashed some on his face to try and wash away some of the day.

After turning off the faucet he grabbed the towel off the rod and patted his face dry. He stood up and stared intently at the tired man looking back at him in the mirror. He had to admit everyone was right, he did look like a walking ad for dead. He'd been up and moving for over 24 hours now and it was blatantly obvious from the dark circles under his eyes, the creases in his face due to the pain and the very good start he had on a beard. As he stared at the mirror he was startled by what seemed to be a ripple in the surface. He blinked his eyes and rubbed them lightly sure that what he'd just seen was all in his over-tired mind.

Lee returned his gaze to the mirror and once more observed a ripple and shimmer on the surface. "What the hell," he said aloud. He tentatively reached out his hand to touch the surface. As his hand made contact a large scaly, clawed hand shot out of the mirror seizing him by the wrist and pulled him in.

In Guest Cabin 1 a similar scene was unfolding as Kendal suddenly found herself pulled through the looking glass; a bloodcurdling, terror filled scream the only thing marking her passage into hell.


	6. Chapter 6

Harri completed the entry in his computer, hit save then shut the thing off and snapped the top closed. He pushed back from the table and slowly stretched out his back and rubbed his eyes. He had been trying to make some headway in determining what had them pinned in place for the last 12 hours and it was time for a break and a few hours of sleep. He looked down at his watch and smiled, it had been over three hours since he'd sent Lee to sick bay and hadn't seen hide nor hair of him since. Jamie must have successfully got him treated and tucked into bed given his absence even on the intercom.

Wanting to stretch his legs a bit and check on the boat before he headed for bed Harri pushed to his feet and made his way through the control room. At some point command had been passed from Lt. James to Lt. O'Brien, he had completely missed the transfer he'd been so engrossed in his work.

"How are things looking Bobby?" Nelson asked as he approached O'Brien.

"All major systems are on line with exception of the engines, sir. Cheng indicated they were about two hours away from completing repairs at which time he'll contact you or the captain for further instructions. Most of the injured are now filtering back to their duty stations having cleared sick bay and received permission from Doc." Bobby answered.

"Good to hear. I'm going to do a quick tour of the boat, hit sick bay to check on Lee and Chip and then it's off to bed should you need me."

"Aye sir, if you don't mind me saying so, you do look about spent."

"That I am, lad." Nelson replied and clapped O'Brien on the back as he passed him on his way out the aft hatch.

Finding everything in as good a shape as possible given their situation Harri made his way down to sick bay to check on his command team. He hadn't heard anything from Jamie so he was fairly sure that there was nothing too alarming about their injuries that he need worry about. He actually was rather surprised that Jamie hadn't enlisted his aid to force Lee to give in to his exhaustion and get some sleep.

"Hi Jamie," Harri said quietly as he entered sick bay.

Jamie looked up and gave him a tired smile and waved him over to the desk to sit down and join him in a cup of coffee. "Evening, or is it morning Harri," he replied.

"Morning, definitely morning based on my watch. How's everything going down here?"

"We've finally got everything under control. I treated the last patient over an hour ago and sent my corpsmen off to grab a little sleep. I have to tell you we really need to do something nice for Kendal, she was a real lifesaver when she came down and volunteered her services. Without her help we no doubt would still be trying to sort out the damage we sustained in the drop and would still have the corridors lined with injured men. She even managed to get Lee to lie still for treatment and then shuttled off to his cabin for some rest."

Harri's eyebrows shot up in amazement. "She succeeded in doing that?! Her talents truly amaze me. I wondered why I hadn't been summoned down to sick bay to apply my own personal brand of pressure on the man. Speaking of our trouble child how is he and his partner in crime?"

"He's okay but in a lot of pain and exhausted beyond belief. He sustained five broken ribs and has a mild concussion. I managed to get him stitched, taped, wrapped and medicated and sent him to his cabin to crash. Chip finally came around about 90 minutes ago. He's got a moderate concussion, two broken ribs and a fractured right ulna. Thus far there have been no complications from the concussion and his memory seems to be fully intact so he should make a full recovery. I've got him stashed in a bunk in the next room."

Harri smiled glad to hear his command team would recover. "How about you Jamie, you look like you've been put through the wringer twice. I don't even know how you're sitting upright."

Jamie laughed. "I feel like I've been put through the wringer twice. Frank should be back in a couple of hours to relieve me then I'm pouring myself into bed for some much needed sleep. You look like you're ready to inspect the inside of your eyelids as well Harri."

"Can't argue with you there Jamie. I finished my walkthrough of the boat and once I've finished here I'm on my way to my quarters. I just needed to check in with you and find out what happened to my captain." Harri laughed.

"If Kendal was successful he should be securely tucked in bed, and I have no doubt in her abilities. If you're that concerned you could drop by and make sure he didn't fake her out by crawling into bed pretending to go to sleep then getting back up once she left. I seriously doubt that he could do that this time, he's so tired I think the second he closed his eyes he'd be out," Jamie replied with a smile.

Harri laughed knowing all too well how his son operated when his boat was in danger. "Well I think I'll stroll by his cabin and see if the lights are on. If he's still up, there will be hell to pay. I'll give you a call if there's a problem."

"Thanks Harri I appreciate that. Now go get some sleep, that's an order."

"Aye, aye Doctor," Harri replied as he pushed to his feet and flipped a quick salute. "You get some as well Jamie; we don't need you crashing either."

"Aye Admiral, as soon as my relief arrives."

Harri did a quick walk around the bunks checking on the injured men still confined to sick bay. Chip looked a little pale but didn't seem to be in any pain and was sleeping soundly. He reached out and touched him lightly on the arm. "Sleep well lad," he said softly then headed out the door to his cabin.

()()()()()

As Harri approached Lee's cabin he could clearly see a faint light shining underneath the door. '_Damn him_' thought Harri, '_when is he going to catch on that he doesn't have to take care of everything on this boat personally._' Harri grasped the door knob and turned it quietly so that if Lee was actually in bed asleep he wouldn't disturb him.

He pushed the door open and peeked in, what he observed dismayed him considerably. Lee's bed had quite obviously not been slept in recently and there was no sign of him in the cabin. He stepped in fully and completed a scan of the room. The light was still on in the head which seemed quite odd. Harri moved over to the mic and snapped it up.

"Captain Crane, this is Nelson, report your location," he said tersely into the mic. Harri waited impatiently for a response. After a minute and no response, Nelson repeated his page for his captain. Another minute passed and still no response to the hail. Harri was now starting to become quite concerned.

"Master at Arms report to the captain's cabin," Nelson ordered.

"Master at Arms here, on my way sir."

"Admiral this is sick bay."

"This is Nelson, what is it Jamie?" Harri inquired.

"Is something wrong with the captain sir?"

"I don't know Jamie, he's not here and he's not answering my page."

"Damn it," replied Jamie as he pictured Lee no doubt burrowed into an engine casing or a control panel somewhere "just" lending a hand. "Please let me know when you find him sir."

"Will do Doctor."

Stewart, the MAA showed up almost immediately following the admiral's call. "Is there something you need sir?"

"Yes Stewart, the captain has gone UA from his cabin and is not answering my page to report his location. Get together a small team to track the captain down and escort him to my cabin once you've located him." Nelson snapped.

"Aye sir," Stewart acknowledged then spun on his heel and exited the skipper's cabin. '_Oh I wouldn't want to be you Skipper_' he thought to himself recognizing how angry the admiral was at the moment. He quickly pulled four crewmen from the rec room and began their search of the boat.

()()()()()

An hour and a half later, Stewart gritted his teeth and knocked hesitantly on the admiral's door.

"Come," Nelson responded brusquely to the summons.

Stewart pushed open the door and entered the cabin coming to attention in front of the admiral's desk. "Sir I regret to report we've been unable to locate the captain anywhere on the boat. After the first sweep I doubled the size of the search team and we triple checked FS-1, the diving bell and every room, vent shaft, maintenance space, bilge tank, ballast tank and torpedo tube on the boat. Sir he's just not here."

"What?! How the hell can that be?" Nelson stormed in response.

"I can't answer that sir. There's no indication that anyone has left the boat via the escape hatch or the moon pool and those are the only options off the boat right now." Stewart replied evenly.

"Did you check with Dr. Ferguson, she was the last person to see him according to Dr. Jamieson," Nelson inquired.

"No sir she wasn't in her cabin when we stopped by to search. Come to think of it sir, no one reported seeing her anywhere onboard either."

Nelson snapped on the intercom on his desk. "Dr. Ferguson this is Nelson, please report your location." They waited nearly a minute and received no reply to the page. Harri repeated his page once again with the same result.

"Damn what the hell is going on now?" Harri wondered aloud. "Stewart, double the size of your team and do another sweep of the boat. I don't doubt the thoroughness of your first efforts I just want to make sure we're not missing something. Go so far as to check crates and boxes in stores, anything large enough to conceal a person."

"Aye sir, I'll get right on it." The MMA spun on his heel and quickly exited the admiral's cabin to conduct another search.

As Stewart exited Nelson's quarters Jamie came in behind him. "What's wrong Harri? Where are Lee and Kendal?"

"I have no idea Jamie. All I know is that when I went to check on Lee the lights were on but nobody was home and attempts to locate either of them have come up empty. Stewart has already searched the boat twice with a fine toothed comb and is going to do it once more with a magnifying glass and tweezers."

"They couldn't have just disappeared, that's not possible," Jamie stated.

"Isn't it Jamie," Nelson replied. "In case you haven't noticed a lot of things have happened that just aren't possible. If whatever has us trapped in this bubble has the resources to do that, then snatching a couple of people off this boat is well within the realm of possibility. Have you forgotten the little foray to Venus Chip, Lee and I made a while back?"

"That's a most unsettling thought Harri. I can guess why Lee was snatched away but why Kendal?"

"Maybe it's because she's the only woman on the boat, who knows at this point. I'm just hoping that this current search will turn them up otherwise I have no idea where to look next."

()()()()()

Seaview had been searched from stem to stern multiple times now and still Lee and Kendal were nowhere to be found, it was as though they had vanished from the face of the earth. Concerned and disheartened Harri trudged tiredly back to his quarters and collapsed exhausted into his desk chair. Try as he might he could figure no way for them to have left the boat other than alien abduction.

He leaned forward in his chair placed his elbows on the desk and buried his head in his hands. Worry over his captain and Kendal weighed heavily on his mind wondering where they were and what they were being subjected to by whatever had kidnapped them. Harri sighed heavily and rubbed his face tiredly as he fought off the call for sleep his body so desperately wanted. After a moment he pushed back into his chair looked up and was startled to find a figure dressed in a dark blue robe standing before him. It was humanoid in appearance, standing about 5'9", slender with bluish white skin and long flowing black hair. Its eyes were the deepest blue Harri had ever seen almost glowing in their intensity.

"Who the hell are you and how did you get on my boat?" Harri demanded.

"I mean you no harm human, I am called Keeper. This body you see before you is merely a projection, I am not physically here on your vessel," Keeper replied.

Harri stared at the figure scrutinizing it closely. "What is it you want Keeper? Are you the one responsible for the changes to our planet and solar system? Did you kidnap my personnel?"

"To answer your second question first, no I am not responsible for the seismic events, or the shifts in magnetic fields and orbital trajectories you have observed. I am also not responsible for your missing personnel. That is the work of an entity locked away eons ago in the center of this planet to prevent it from destroying this universe," Keeper replied.

"In answer to your first question, I and others like me were responsible for imprisoning the entity in this planet's solid core and the reason for my presence now is to enlist your aid in ensuring that this being does not escape its prison and vent its rage on all who exist. Should that happen all who live on this world will be destroyed when this planet is blown apart in its escape."

Harri regarded Keeper with suspicion. "We had pretty much surmised the last part given what is going on. Why would you need our help to thwart its escape? I would think your powers and capabilities far exceed ours."

"I can only intervene if it escapes from its cell because direct action on my part now would leave the surface of your world a moldering cinder and I think that is not the response you would want," Keeper answered nonchalantly.

"We appreciate that," Harri replied sarcastically. "To get back to my question, where the hell are my people?"

"They have been pulled into its realm, to what end I'm not sure."

"Pulled in? How? Where?"

"Mirrors I believe you call them. Mirrors can be utilized as a portal between the inner and outer world but only when a mirror of sufficient size to allow passage of an object or in this case being, is inside a controlling field like the one it has generated around your vessel. You and your planet are exceedingly fortunate that there are only small mirrors on this vessel, a larger pane could have let it slip its bonds and enter into this world."

"Does this portal work both ways? Can I get my people back on this side?" Harri asked.

"Yes. As long as I have influence here on your vessel we can return them to this place. Before I'm willing to do that I will need them and you to do something for me, for your planet while they still reside on the other side. We must be most careful in achieving that task or it will act against your humans there in its realm and then strike out at the planet."

Harri once again stared at him suspiciously. "And what might that task be?"

"I need them to retrieve an item in its realm and bring it back through the portal with them. It has managed to get possession of a powerful talisman called a power stone. A power stone allows the user to access and utilize energy sources beyond its personal capabilities. It allows the user to tap into external sources such as solar, radioactive, magnetic and other forms of energy and manipulate it to affect the world around it. You've noticed the increased seismic activity on your planet and the changes in magnetic fields and orbital trajectories of the planets in your solar system, this is it drawing on and focusing these energy sources to impact the outer world to affect its escape," Keeper explained. "What I need of you and your people trapped on the other side, is to gain possession of its power stone and bring it back through the portal thereby depriving it of access to the energies it needs to escape."

"What is this power stone and how did it get one? Does it exist here on earth?" Harri inquired.

"You have encountered it, you call it carnotite. As to how it got hold of one, your planet has been bombarded by meteors and asteroids since it has occupied this space and some of those fragments of space detritus contained bits of power stone. When they impacted the planet's surface the power stone became part of the planet and was transported by weather processes from the surface to the subduction zones located across your planet and introduced into the magma. It was able to extract fragments of the stone and accumulate enough for its' needs. It has also managed to stage caches of the stone in strategic locations along the various fault lines that cover your planet. If it can initiate an explosive reaction at this location that will trigger a chain reaction all across the planet leaving this world little more than a debris field in space."

Harri stared again in wide-eyed disbelief. "And you didn't plan for this contingency when you locked it away?! Do you know that carnotite is highly toxic to us and depending on how large this power stone is my people could receive a lethal dose retrieving this item?"

"No we failed to foresee this occurrence and I must apologize for that egregious oversight on our part but what's done is done and there's no reversing that other than how I've described. When we selected this planet we expected it to remain a dead, cold world with a solid core and not develop an active geologic process that recycled materials through the system. As far as your people, their lives will be a small price to pay to save an entire planet and a universe, don't you think?" Keeper replied emotionlessly.

Harri sat there gape jawed at Keeper's response. This was his son in all but blood that Keeper was condemning to death along with a brilliant and vibrant young woman that he had come to think of very fondly in the short time he'd known her. To so callously throw away their lives for a mistake Keeper and its kind were responsible for seemed unconscionable. What made it even worse was the dispassionate manner in which it discounted them.

On the grand scale of things it was an extremely small price to pay to save the universe but on a personal level the price was too high to pay for Harri, yet he would if he had to. Hell he had fired on an enemy sub thinking Lee and Kowalski were aboard to prevent the sub from destroying Seaview and the mere thought of his actions to save Seaview from Krueger nearly made him physically ill. As an active duty naval officer he had made similar choices on the battlefield sacrificing a few to save the many but his emotional ties had not been so strong to those he sent to their death. Yet he suffered the guilt and remorse at having made those decisions even to this day but he had never been as dismissive of their sacrifices as Keeper seemed to be of Lee's and Kendal's.

"You son of a bitch," Harri finally replied in a low and deadly tone.

Keeper was taken aback at the measure of hostility he picked up from this human. It had been eons since it had experienced such an emotionally threatening and angry response. It was confused caught mentally off guard. What had it said? It quickly searched the human's thoughts and found the source of his animosity. It had been so long since it had been emotionally attached to another that it had forgotten such feelings existed. It had glibly sentenced this human's child to death with no regard for his feelings or the personal cost.

"My apologies again," Keeper answered. "I did not realize your relationship and emotional ties with those on the other side. I regret this is the only way to achieve my goal but to fail to utilize their assistance would sentence this planet and most likely this universe to death."

Harri worked hard to compose himself as he realized to Keeper they must seem as advanced as protozoa and had a tough time attributing real intelligence and value to their meager lives. Knowing his captain, he would willingly go to any length to save his vessel, his crew and his world from harm, even if that resulted in his death. His impression of Kendal was that she would likewise make the sacrifice for the good of the planet.

"How do we go about getting in contact with them so they can retrieve this damn stone and come back home? And what happens when they do return to us? Won't the energy field around the boat collapse because the entity has lost access to its new found powers and leave us exposed to forces this vessel was never designed to withstand?"

"Once the stone is removed yes its field will collapse but I will then encompass your vessel in a field of my own to prevent your demise. Until that time my presence must remain hidden. Should it detect me or my hand in the attempt to relieve it of its power stone I will be forced to intervene directly resulting in the destruction of all life on this planet," Keeper explained. "I see in your thoughts that you are quite emotionally tied to your son, does that attachment go both ways?

Harri looked at Keeper and scowled not thrilled with the fact that it could access his thoughts. "Yes I believe so; Lee and I are very close. Why do you ask?"

"To pass on our need to recover the power stone we must establish communications with one on the other side. The only way to do this undetected by it is to have you contact him telepathically. Not knowing what it may be subjecting them to, your son must be able to recognize you as the source of our message and have enough trust in you to carry out what we ask. Do you know each other well enough that you can cite incidents or memories that only the two of you are privy to so he will recognize you as the source of the voice in his head?"

"Yes there is any number of incidents that only we two are aware of," Harri replied. At that admission to Keeper he flashed to one such incident when he should have employed that device instead of trying to break Lee because he was suspected of being an imposter.

"Excellent human I believe we may be able to actually pull this off."

"Nelson."

"Nelson?" Keeper inquired.

"Yes I am called Nelson. The man on the other side is Crane and the young woman is Ferguson."

"Understood Nelson. Thank you for your willingness to trust me. I do find it rather interesting that you seem to accept all this so easily."

"We've experienced and survived alien incursions before," Harri replied flatly.

"Fascinating, we must discuss this further once we have completed our task," Keeper replied now intrigued by Nelson and his capacity to accept things so very far beyond the human reach.

"So what now? You said I would be contacting Lee telepathically to give him instructions. I have no such powers and neither does he that I'm aware of, are you able to give us that ability? And when will we start?"

"Yes I have the ability to help you focus your mind and tap those latent capabilities that have yet to fully manifest within your brain. Your species has tremendous mental potential if you can just get past your warlike tendencies and keep from blowing yourselves into oblivion. We will start soon; both he and Ferguson are currently unconscious as a result of their sudden entrance to its realm. It has taken no actions against them other than prodding at their dreams and they have sustained no new injuries as best I can tell. We can do nothing until Crane is alert and aware of what is going on around him, so for now we just wait. I would recommend that you eliminate any other large portals that may be present on this vessel to prevent it from acquiring additional members of your crew. "

"A wise precaution, I'll get my people right on that." Nelson replied.

"Very well, I will return when Crane is able to participate. Until then Nelson," Keeper said and abruptly disappeared.

()()()()()

Harri shook his head and rubbed his eyes trying to make sure he hadn't imagined all that had just occurred. Coming to the conclusion he wasn't dreaming and that he actually had conversed with an entity from a highly advanced race he now needed to take action to protect his boat and get his captain and passenger back aboard. He pushed up to his feet and moved to the head to splash some water on his face. Cognizant of what Keeper had told him, he draped a towel over the mirror before turning on the water.

The shock of cool water on his face revitalized him a bit and he moved back into his cabin and over to the intercom on his desk. "Chief Sharkey, report to my cabin immediately."

"Sharkey here sir, I'm on my way," Sharkey replied to the hail. Less than five minutes later there was a knock at Nelson's door and Sharkey entered and stood at attention in front of the desk. "Reporting as ordered, sir."

"At ease Chief. Francis I have a project for you that I need completed ASAP." Nelson started.

"Aye sir. Just let me know what you need done and I'll see that it's taken care of right away."

"I need you to put together a working party to paint all the large mirrors on board black. I don't want anyone to touch the mirrors so have them use spray paint. I want this done for every mirror except for the ones located in Captain Crane's cabin and in Guest Cabin 1; those leave as they are but post guards outside the doors so no one goes in without my express permission."

Sharkey stared in complete confusion and worry at the admiral. "Paint the mirrors sir? May I ask why?"

"As crazy as this sounds Chief, Captain Crane and Dr. Ferguson were taken from the boat by way of the mirrors. I have just been visited by an alien entity that provided an explanation for their disappearance along with the reason for the earthquakes and other changes in our planet and this solar system," Nelson explained.

A look of total disbelief flashed across Sharkey's face. He was aware of the stressful situation the admiral was under along with probably not getting any sleep for over a day. Surely the man had nodded off and this was just the remnants of a dream or nightmare. "Uh…yes sir. Um are you sure you're feeling all right sir, did you maybe hit your head a little harder in the diving bell than you thought?"

"Don't patronize me Sharkey; I'm fully aware of what's going on around me and in complete control of my faculties. Given the facts of our current situation alien intervention is the only explanation for where we are and what has occurred." Nelson snapped.

"Aye sir," Sharkey replied as he snapped back to attention. "My apologies, sir. So did the alien say where the skipper and Kendal are?"

"It said that there is another entity trapped in the center of our planet and everything that has happened has been an attempt on its part to escape its prison. The entity pulled them into its prison through the mirrors hence the reason for cutting off its access to any other personnel on this boat. Should it escape, this planet will be destroyed."

Sharkey paled appreciably at the admiral's explanation. "Are we going to be able to get them back sir?"

"I hope so Francis, I hope so. There are plans in the works to do just that. Now you've got your orders, see to it that everything is taken care of as quickly as possible."

"Aye sir, I'll see to it personally." Sharkey spun around on his heel and headed out the door.

()()()()()

It had them, it had been able to capture two of the beings from the other side and they now lay unconscious on the floor of its cell. It felt giddy almost like a child with a new pet. It had been alone for so long it relished the presence of another living being even if they were little more advanced than the single celled animals they stemmed from. It was also thrilled that one of those it had taken was the captain of the vessel and had control over the weapons it needed detonated above its cell door.

The trick now was to convince them or coerce them into releasing the missiles. It would have to be patient and wait for them to wake up. It had already slithered into their dreams and tried planting its ideas but had encountered resistance much as before; they both seemed strong of will and conviction and that would not be easily overcome. It cursed the fact that it was trapped in this physical form and could not invade their thoughts to directly read what was contained in their minds and learn how to launch the weapons itself.

If it could not convince the captain to act voluntarily it would try other means which would not be pleasant for either of its guests. And if perchance he still resisted and could not be forced to comply, it would simply collapse its containing field around the vessel and return to its original plan to shake this planet to death.


	7. Chapter 7

Kendal groaned loudly as she fought her way back to consciousness. She pried her eyes open to find absolute darkness and panicked momentarily fearing she had been buried alive. She thrust out her arms to instinctively push back the cover but found nothing constraining her. The next thing to assault her senses was the foul and fetid odor that permeated this space; it was a mixture of sweat, fear, desperation, death and decay and try as she might she could not fight back the urge to vomit. She rolled quickly onto her knees and emptied the contents of her stomach.

Once the dry heaves had receded the memory of what had happened slowly began to return. She could clearly see and feel the clawed hand grab her as she touched the mirror's surface and then the horrific realization that she was being pulled unwillingly into another world. A fresh wave of terror broke over her and she began to tremble uncontrollably. Where the hell was she and what had brought her here? She'd been so anxious to meet an alien entity but this experience was proving to be nothing like she imagined.

She cautiously sat up drew herself up into a ball and began rocking slowly back and forth trying desperately to stem the flood of tears, control her rising fear and recover some shred of rational thought. As she rocked she began assessing the world around her noting what she could despite being unable to see anything.

This place seemed large and was uncomfortably hot and humid as she noticed her clothes plastered to her body by sweat, there was no hint of breeze moving the fetid air and the atmosphere was oppressive as though she were buried under piles of wet, heavy woolen blankets. And although she couldn't see it she sensed there was something in here with her, something huge that exuded a malevolence and hatred like an overpowering musk the likes of which she had never experienced. As a fresh wave of terror crashed over her she whimpered involuntarily and rocked harder.

She had heard the phrase 'frozen with fear' but until now had no real appreciation for what that meant. She desperately wanted to seek a way out of this place but was terrified at the thought of running into whatever lurked nearby. As she sat there trying to make her body move she heard something sigh and groan as it moved next to her.

'_Oh god it's coming towards me_' she thought as she listened to the thing scrabble and rustle on the floor beside her. Had she not been paralyzed by fear she would have screamed out and bolted when it rolled heavily into her and moaned out loud. She held her breath and stopped her rocking in hopes that whatever it was would back off and leave her alone.

Pressed hard against her, it coughed then groaned in what sounded like pain. Suddenly the thing grasped her arm and she let loose a scream trying desperately to wrench free from its powerful grip.

"K…Kendal? Is that you?" the thing asked.

"Lee, Lee is that you?" she replied tentatively. Relief washed over her as she realized that she wouldn't have to face this horror alone.

"Yeah, at least I think so." Lee replied as he pulled himself up to a seated position groaning in pain as he stressed his injured ribs. "What happened, where are we?"

"Oh thank god," she said in relief as she threw her arms around him like a drowning swimmer latching on to a life preserver . "I have no idea where we are or what happened. The last thing I remember was noticing something odd about the mirror in my bathroom and when I went to touch it something grabbed me and pulled me in."

Lee grunted in pain at the death grip she had applied to his upper body. Knowing how terrified she must be he gently wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight against him then placed a hand on the back of her head and gently stroked her hair trying to calm her down. "That's pretty much the same thing that I remember."

She immediately felt safer in his arms, his voice was a soothing balm that drove back the fear and she relaxed somewhat. For the first time since she'd awakened in this hell hole she now had some sense of hope that they would escape this place and make it back to Seaview and safety. His calm and confident demeanor quieted her nerves and her uncontrolled shaking began to fade.

Once he felt her tremors abate he released his hold and gently peeled her back. He reached out and finding her face carefully wiped the tears off her cheeks with his thumb. "Are you all right, are you hurt?"

"I don't think so, I'm just frightened. How about you, how are your ribs?"

"I'm doing fine, and none the worse for wear. Jamie has mastered the art of the tape job so although I'm sore my ribs feel pretty stable. Have you checked out this place at all? Has anything contacted you since you've been awake?"

"No, I came to just a bit before you did. I have no idea how much time has passed since we were brought here. I do however get the feeling there is something huge and monstrous lurking somewhere out there but it hasn't contacted me."

As if on cue a low and malevolent laugh rumbled next to them, making them both jump in surprise. "Now is that anyway to talk about one's host?" queried a rasping, gurgling, mucus laden voice.

"Who are you and why did you bring us here?" demanded Lee.

"I am just another wrongly imprisoned creature like you; locked in the center of this planet you call earth. Why I brought you here is to help liberate us all from the confines of this cell and the Keepers," it replied.

"And how pray tell are we to help '_liberate_' us from these keepers?" Lee asked.

"You possess many powerful weapons on that remarkable vessel you command, Captain. You need only send them to the depths below your boat and detonate them to loosen our bonds and set us all free," it answered simply. It counted desperately on these simple beings being unaware of what else would occur when they let loose the atomic power harnessed in their missiles.

"Yes and in the process destroy my boat, my people and my world. There's no way in hell I would ever allow that to happen." Lee spat back.

It growled, irked at having underestimated their grasp of the consequences of that action. "Oh I think you will gladly dispatch your weapons into the trench above if only to put an end to the agony you will now endure."

Suddenly a huge pair of yellow, soulless eyes appeared accompanied by an evil sneer baring a mouthful of yellowed, long, pointed teeth each one roughly the length of a man. It reached forward and grabbed Lee much like a child's doll and began slowly closing its powerful hand around his already damaged chest. Lee cried out unable to fight off the attack or to bite back the pain as he felt his ribs move and shift under the increasing pressure. He heard Kendal screaming at the thing to stop; it was going to kill him. He felt then heard his undamaged ribs bend and break, he cried out once more as the pain in his chest clamped down as hard as his tormentor's fist then he succumbed to the darkness.

Realizing his prisoner was no longer conscious and continued torture would not yield what it wanted it dropped Lee unceremoniously to the ground. It looked over to Kendal and sneered once again. "Convince the good captain to do as I say or you will be next," it said then shuffled off across the room.

Kendal heard rather than saw Lee's body hit the floor like a sack of laundry. She crawled quickly in the direction of the sound until she encountered his limp form. She rolled him gently on his back and placed her finger on his throat in desperate search of a pulse. Much to her relief she found a strong and steady beat. "Oh god Lee are you all right? Can you hear me?" she asked urgently. Uncertain about what he'd been subject to she began running her hands down his body in search of any injuries. As she probed his chest she felt the telltale signs of newly broken ribs. She pressed her ear to his chest and listened intently as he breathed. She sighed in relief when she heard no signs that the new injuries had compromised his lungs. Nearly overwhelmed by all that she had experienced, she stretched out next to his battered body, softly kissed his forehead then gently rested her head on his shoulder and wept.


	8. Chapter 8

"LEE!" Harri sat bolt upright in bed shaking and drenched in sweat, the visions of Lee being tortured and tormented by some faceless entity still reverberating in his mind. As his breathing and heart rate slowed to normal, he slung back the covers, got up and made his way to the head to get a drink of water. Looking up from the sink, his eyes met the shrouded mirror in front of him and he cursed the entity that had stolen his captain and son.

After dispatching Sharkey to take care of the mirrors he had forced himself to go to sleep, he was beat and could feel his mind becoming foggy and muddled due to his lack of rest. The last thing he needed was his most powerful weapon slowed by exhaustion. Given what they needed to do to ensure they all survived this encounter he had to be at his mental best to carry this out.

Taking several deep breaths to calm his nerves, he settled himself into the chair behind his desk and composed himself. As he tried to recall the substance of his dream he found himself somewhat amused at the niggling notion in the back of his mind that to resolve this situation he need only detonate Seaview's weapons. After speaking with Keeper he knew exactly the source of that unbidden idea. He stared at the clock across the room and noted it had been nearly 12 hours since Lee and Kendal had been taken. Not a patient man this interminable waiting was driving him mad, he wanted his people back now and the delay in taking action concerned him as that meant Lee had not yet regained consciousness.

Finally feeling more in control he pushed to his feet and walked back into the head to shower and get ready for the day. Shaving proved to be a challenge given the lack of access to a mirror but he made due using the reflection in the blacked out screen of his computer. When he finished dressing he headed out the door and down to sick bay to check on Chip.

As he neared the door he was gratified to hear Chip and Jamie's elevated voices arguing back and forth regarding Chip's fitness to leave sick bay and resume his duties. Harri smiled for a brief moment at the one shred of normalcy he had encountered in quite some time then entered sick bay to take on his duties as referee.

()()()()()

"Good morning Jamie, Chip," Harri said as he walked into the room.

"Good morning Admiral," they both replied.

"It's good to see you up and awake Chip, we were getting more than a little concerned when it took you so long to come back to us," Harri said as he patted him on the shoulder.

"Thanks Admiral it's good to be back so to speak. I'm also ready to resume my duties, but Jamie seems to think different," he answered.

"Chip you suffered a moderate concussion that left you unconscious for over 10 hours, you also have a broken arm and two broken ribs which would be at risk if you were to become dizzy and fall. Also by the look of your squinted eyes you have one hell of headache you're very desperately trying to ignore," Jamie countered.

"Look Jamie with Lee missing I'm needed in the control room," Chip stated as he looked hopefully to the admiral for support of his case.

Harri smiled and shook his head no. "I'm going with Jamie on this one lad. At the moment you're needed right here to recover from your injuries, not to run the risk of adding more."

Chip frowned at the admiral and looked away. He hated being incarcerated in sick bay to begin with and now with his captain and best friend missing he needed to feel that he was somehow involved in figuring out where he was and getting him back.

"Chip listen to me," Harri began. "There's absolutely no need for you to be at the con right now. We are completely immobilized by a force field generated by some alien entity confined to the center of this planet, all repairs have been made and there's nothing any of us can do at the moment but sit back and wait. Right now I want you doing that here so when the time comes and I need your experience and expertise you're rested and recovered to the greatest extent possible."

Chip stared at Nelson for a long moment then sighed and nodded. "Alright sir, I'll stay here _one_ more day."

"We'll see about that Mr. Morton," Jamie cut in. "You aren't escaping my grasp until I feel you aren't a danger to yourself."

Harri chuckled at the banter that usually went on between his command team and their common foe in all things medical the immovable CMO when one or both found themselves in his care. He had to admire Jamie's fortitude and patience for enduring their continuous attempts to escape their least favorite area of the boat. He was still amazed at how incredibly lucky he was to be able to call all three of these exceptional men his officers and friends.

"So what is the situation with Lee and Kendal, sir?" Chip asked.

"Unfortunately I haven't heard anything from Keeper, the alien that contacted me last night regarding their condition or about an attempt to get in touch with them. Keeper indicated that we had to wait until Lee regained consciousness before we could try contacting him. The fact that we haven't heard anything in over 12 hours concerns me."

Both men nodded in agreement. "I hate feeling so helpless," answered Chip. "I think that's what's so frustrating about this whole situation is the total lack of control over our lives and our inability to come to their aid."

As Harri was about to answer, Keeper suddenly materialized in the center of sick bay startling the three men. "Nelson it is time, and we must move quickly. It has already assaulted Crane once and he is only now starting to regain consciousness. We must make contact now before it notices that he is awake and goes after him again."

Harri's face paled at the news that Lee had been attacked and that had resulted in him passing out. "Of course, let's return to my quarters where we can work undisturbed," Harri replied.

Keeper nodded and disappeared. Nelson looked back at the concerned faces of Jamie and Chip. "I'll let you know what's going on as soon as I'm able. Wish me luck," he said as he turned and hurried out the door.

"Good luck Harri and bring them back," Jamie called out after his boss.

()()()()()

Harri ran down the corridor towards his cabin, decorum be damned, there was no way he wasting any time in getting his missing people back. He entered his cabin and found Keeper standing in the center of the room awaiting his arrival.

"We must act quickly Nelson; our window of opportunity is very small. I need you to either sit or lay down whichever is most comfortable for you. You will need to able to concentrate completely on what we are about to do."

Harri nodded and moved over to his desk chair and sat down. "I'm ready whenever you are Keeper."

"Good. First I need you to close your eyes and clear your mind of outside concerns. Breathe deeply and relax your body. I want you to concentrate only on my voice," Keeper continued. Harri nodded his understanding. "Now you will feel something a kin to an itch or tickle in the back of your mind, don't fight it just let it grow. As it grows it will become a generalized tingling and now you should feel a flush of comfort and wellbeing."

Harri nodded once more as he felt each of the effects Keeper described. A profound sense of peace washed over him and he felt as though his body was now floating on a warm calm sea.

"Now Nelson I want you to picture Crane, visualize your son and lock that image in your mind."

Harri quickly brought to mind an image of Lee, seeing him clearly as though he was standing in front of him. The image seemed so real he was tempted to reach out and touch him.

"Now I want you to mentally call out to him. Call him by name, draw his attention and convince him you are there with him in his mind. Use one of those memories that only you two share to convince him that this is not some trick employed by the other to win his trust. Tell him that he must remain as still as possible and give no hint that he is awake. Tell him not to speak out but only think his responses lest it notice that he is conscious and it comes after him once more."

As Harri reached out his mind it felt as though he was hurtling down a long black tunnel like a rocket on rails. He felt momentarily queasy at the sense of motion but that passed quickly. His momentum slowed as he met with resistance, he instinctively pushed against the barrier until he moved past it into what must be Lee's mind.

The feeling and sensations were indescribable as he realized he was now somehow joined with Lee mentally. He sensed extreme wariness and concern along with a hint of fear and a nearly overwhelming wave of pain. Tentatively he moved forward reaching out his thoughts and then called Lee's name.

()()()()()

Lee felt the return of consciousness ease its way upon him. Instinctively he bit back the groan of pain that might alert it that he was awake and remained motionless as he quickly ascertained his condition and the area around him. He became immediately aware of Kendal's head on his shoulder as she lay there sleeping, he fought back the urge to reach up and touch her to reassure her that he was fine.

Well fine was really pushing it, even by his definition. His chest felt as though it had been placed in a vice, he was finding it more difficult to breathe and his head throbbed incessantly from all the abuse he had absorbed in the last few days.

As he continued his assessment of the state of things he felt a tingling in the back of his mind and then a surge of warmth that momentarily relaxed him. He mentally pondered this new development and then became aware of a voice seemingly coming from inside his head that wasn't his own yet somehow just as familiar.

'_That's just great_,' he thought to himself, '_now I'm hearing voices in my head if things weren't bad enough already.'_ As he listened to the voice it started to get louder until he could finally make out what was being said and by whom.

"_Lee, Lee, can you hear me? Lee, its Nelson. Please listen closely to what I say your life depends on it. Whatever you do, do not speak or move doing that will only draw its attention. To communicate with me, just think your response son."_

'_Oh great,' thought Lee_ '_now I'm delusional. That's the last thing we need.'_

"_You're not delusional Lee; I am with you in your mind. It's imperative that you believe me lad for this will be the only way we will be able to get you and Kendal back. Lee I want you to think back to first time you called me Dad*. Do you remember that Lee? Do you remember the first time we went to my cabin? Remember how you managed to escape from the handcuffs and then rescue me by incapacitating our captors despite being shot."_

"_Admiral? Is that really you? How are you here in my mind?" Lee inquired still uncertain as to what was going on._

"_Yes Lee it's me. I am able to be here with you now through the aid of a being known as Keeper, it is giving us the ability to communicate through telepathy. The thing that grabbed you and Kendal is unable to detect this form of communication so we can speak freely._"

A wave of mutual relief washed across both their minds as each took comfort at being back in contact, as corny as it sounded they always felt that together they could overcome any obstacle. Lee fought hard to bite back a smile at having his 'Dad' back at his side even if only in mind. Harri did smile thrilled to find Lee readily accepted the situation and believed that he was there with him.

"_Lee do you know why it pulled you into its cell?_"

"_Yes sir. It wants me to deploy our missiles and then detonate them just above the rift in the trench floor. It said that it was wrongfully incarcerated and it needs our help to break free from the Keepers, whatever they are. When I refused, it attacked me. Sir you can't let it make use of the missiles at any cost_."

"_I know son. Keeper told me they locked that creature in the center of the earth to prevent it from destroying the universe. Should it escape, the earth would be completely destroyed and it's highly likely this universe as well._"

"_I figured that was pretty much what would happen if it got loose but hadn't considered a universal scale of destruction_."

"_Lee the reason Keeper has put us in communication is that there is something it needs you to steal from that thing in there. The item you need to get your hands on is called a power stone. It uses that power stone to access and focus energy from outside sources to cause the earthquakes and other planetary changes we've witnessed to ultimately escape from its prison. You need to get a hold of its power stone and then bring it back to this side of the mirror." Harri explained._

"_Sir, if this Keeper is capable of imprisoning this thing and enabling us to communicate, why can't it grab this stone itself? Why is it using you as an intermediary and relying on me to act as thief? It all seems rather suspect and inefficient." Lee replied._

"_Keeper said that if it acted directly it would result in the destruction of all life on the planet. It's using me to contact you knowing that once you recognized and believed it was me you would trust my judgment and do what I ask of you. Also by going through me, the thing in there remains ignorant of Keeper's presence and won't strike out at you or the planet any more than it already has. Son I fully believe that what Keeper is asking of us will prevent it from escaping and protect this planet and the universe from destruction," Harri answered._

_Lee pondered Harri's response for a moment then rapidly made his decision. "I'm not sure how to even go about finding this power stone sir. Its pitch black in here and the only light is a few white dots on one side of the room. Do you have any idea what this thing looks like or even how big it is? Does Keeper know if it keeps the damn thing in its possession or will it be lying around somewhere? And how are we supposed to get back to the other side if we get it, we don't even know where to look for the way out." Lee asked urgently._

Keeper, who had been monitoring their conversation, interjected the answers to Lee's questions into Harri's mind.

"_Lee, Keeper says that it will enhance your eyesight to enable you to see the power stone and the entity that has you prisoner. Based on what Keeper is telling me the stone should be about the size of a football as best I can tell, it's silvery white in appearance and will be very warm to the touch since it is using it extensively to channel energies necessary to carry out its plans; lad the power stone is carnotite."_

"_Isn't that lovely," Lee sniped being all too familiar with the effects of carnotite on the human body._

"_Keeper thinks that the entity probably has the power stone stashed somewhere as opposed to holding on to it; even to them it can be toxic when they take a physical form. Once you've found it let us know immediately then Keeper will create a diversion that should allow you to grab the stone and head for the lights, those are the portals between its world and ours. The portals with the green lights will be the ones we can pull you through. When you let me know you've got the power stone we will pass ropes and harnesses through the interface to you, you just need to get yourselves tied on and we'll pull you through to safety."_

"_Ropes, really? That's the high tech way we get out of here?" Lee asked incredulously. "I expected something like a material transporter or at the very least a rabbit hole. I suppose the damn things have to be made of hand woven hemp as well," Lee quipped. _

Harri chuckled at Lee's response. He so appreciated having this man as the captain of his boat. Even in a situation where everything had skewed so completely out of control and any reference to normal had been shot to hell he could find the humor and irony in the bedlam. He had to agree with him that it all seemed rather ridiculous and primitive given the entities and powers at play.

"_Son, Keeper says you need to completely relax and he will enhance your vision now. It said it may hurt for a few minutes but the pain will pass and when it does you will be able to see the room around you."_

"_Well what's a little more pain, I probably won't even notice. Okay, tell Keeper to go ahead."_

Lee grunted in pain as Keeper manipulated Lee's mind and eyes via Harri's connection giving him the ability to see in this dark space. As he did Harri flinched as he too experienced the pain Lee did since they were still mentally connected. He sighed in relief as he felt it abate.

"_Keeper says open your eyes son_."

Lee slowly and surreptitiously cracked open his eyes. He could now make out things around him. His new vision reminded him of the emergency lighting on Seaview as everything was composed of reds and black. He noticed something hulking and immense standing off in the distance; he assumed that it was what had grabbed them. He cautiously turned his head trying to spot the specks of light he had noticed earlier, his slight movement disturbed Kendal and she woke immediately.

"Lee, Lee, are you okay?" she inquired as she sat up and gingerly placed her hand on his chest. Her words and movement caught the attention of their captor and it turned slowly around to check on its guests.

"Ah so your companion has decided to rejoin us," it said with a gurgling chortle.

"_Shit!_" Lee thought.

"_Lee what is it?!_" _Harri asked suddenly aware of his captain's agitation._

"_It knows I'm awake and it's coming over to play. Don't have much time, how do I contact you when I find the stone?_" _Lee asked_.

"_Just mentally call to me Lee and I'll be there_," _Harri replied solemnly._ "_You be careful son and take care of yourself and Kendal. Hope to hear from you soon._"

With that their connection was broken leaving Harri feeling concerned and emotionally bereft at no longer being in touch with his son.

()()()()()

Lee watched in horror as the thing turned around to face them. Whoever first described what the devil looked like had been clueless and incredibly kind. Hideous didn't even come close to describing this thing. Human accounts of a devil, for that's surely what it had to be, always seemed to portray it as a large sleek being that looked very much like a human except for hooves for feet, a long slender barbed tail and horns on top of its head. This thing was nothing like that.

Its size was immense as it nearly filled the cavernous room Lee now saw around them. The body was slug like with rolls of fat that folded over in layers like shingles on a roof, giving it an almost melted appearance and was covered in a viscous slime; the very size and oily sheen screamed of greed, gluttony and decay. There were numerous appendages of varying shapes and sizes that studded its rotund body some were like hands, some like tentacles and others like pincers and claws.

There were orifices scattered all around the body as well and oriented in the most disconcerting directions. Some opened vertically, others horizontally, a few diagonally and others resembling sphincters dilated and contracted making a wet smacking noise with each movement. All of these openings were studded with teeth of one form or another and oozed some foul smelling bodily fluid.

The face, if it could be called that, was a mix of extreme and improbable angles marked by gelatinous growths and weeping sores perched impossibly at the top. Eyes dotted the head and the grotesque mouth Lee had seen in his first encounter with this thing was positioned up near the top of its head close to the disconcerting yellow eyes. The most disturbing thing about this creature was the lack of symmetry; nothing about it made sense. Lee had an extremely tough time looking at the thing; it was so alien in form the human mind had difficulty processing the image and tried to shut down if forced to look upon it for any length of time.

Lee forced down the shudder as the thing oozed its way towards them trying desperately to hide the fact he could now see it. Lee touched Kendal's hand and patted it gently letting her know he was awake. He struggled to sit up and groaned loudly as he stressed his broken and battered ribs. Kendal did her best to help him up and gripped his hand tightly for the meager bit of reassurance and comfort it provided against the horrors of their situation.

"So you are back now, have you changed your mind? Are you willing to order your weapons released into the trench?" it hissed at him.

Lee fought down the urge to vomit as looking at the thing left him feeling off-balance and gave him a sense of vertigo. He quickly averted his eyes and swallowed compulsively until he was able to drive back the contents of his stomach. "I've already told you I have no intention of ever giving that order," he snarled.

It growled menacingly at Lee's refusal to comply with its demands. "Well then if I cannot convince you to change your mind, perhaps your companion will be more successful."

It cocked its head towards Kendal and sneered. Seconds later she screamed in absolute agony and terror as she fell to the floor writhing convulsively. Lee looked on in horror as it tortured her unmercifully. He was blocked from giving in to its demands and sparing Kendal this agony by his sworn duty to protect his boat, his crew and his world. He sat there helplessly watching her writhe and squirm under its ministrations all the while cursing himself, Keeper and most of all that damn creature.

()()()()()

Kendal cried out in unimaginable agony as it reacted to Lee's denial to release Seaview's weapons, by torturing her. She felt as though her skin had been peeled off her body with every nerve fiber exposed and raw with it pouring salt and vinegar on the bare ends. Her organs felt as though they were being twisted and squeezed to the point of exploding and her brain was on the verge of liquefaction. She twisted and writhed on the floor trying desperately to escape the pain but there was no exit in sight. Her throat was raw and her voice began to fail as she continued to scream in response to the unending pain.

She cried out, "Lee…Lee…Please do something, please make it stop! Help me, please!" She felt as though her mind was going to explode as it tried desperately to block the pain and make it go away. She knew she had been here for an eternity unable to recall a time when this agony did not exist. As it continued to press its attack ratcheting the pain higher with each passing minute, Kendal finally reached her limit no longer able to cope with the assault and blacked out.

As her screams stopped it harrumphed in disappointment and ceased the attack. Kendal lay motionless on the ground, drenched in sweat, blood seeping from her mouth, eyes and ears.

"Have you no compassion for this creature human," it admonished Lee cruelly. "Once she returns we'll see how well she stands up to round two."

()()()()()

As the connection was severed with Lee, Nelson sighed heavily and forced his eyes open. He had just handed Lee yet another impossible mission with the full expectation that he would achieve their goal regardless the personal price he and Kendal would have to pay. He focused on Keeper staring intently, the anger at their situation boiling just below the surface. "Well what do we do now?" he snapped.

"There is little we can do; it is all up to Crane. It would be best that you make preparations to recover your people since we have no idea how soon he will find the stone," it said neutrally.

"Agreed," Nelson replied. He reached across his desk and snapped on the intercom. "Chief Sharkey, report to my cabin immediately."

"Sharkey here, on my way sir."

Nelson nodded to himself and sat back in the chair. He once again regarded the alien before him for a moment. "Keeper, may I ask you a question?"

"Yes Nelson what would you like to know?"

"Why did you imprison this entity in the center of our planet, what was its crime?"

"Crime? Oh I understand. It is an entity very similar to us coming from the outer arm of this universe. Its appetites were for conquest, destruction and enslavement of everything in its path. It has an insatiable hunger for power and sought to subjugate and consume every resource it encountered systematically draining the life out of each place it touched. There is a balance to the universe and its activities threatened to destabilize that thereby affecting everything and everyone that existed on this plane. Finding its appetite growing beyond this universe's ability to feed it, it began manipulating singularities and other such portals to adjacent universes to feed its rapacious hunger and in the process destabilized those universes as well."

"As the situation became critical a meeting of entities was convened and a coalition was established to capture, contain and render it impotent before it destroyed everything. We swore an oath to keep safe this universe, hence we became the Keepers. What ensued was a violent and costly war that resulted in the destruction of innumerable worlds and beings across many universes. When finally we had backed it into a corner from which it could not escape we forced it to take physical form and then encased it in the iron cell that sits at the center of your world."

"Contained inside the core and in its physical state it was cut off from the energy and materials it needed to pursue its mad march for power. As I said we expected this planet to remain dead but as your sun grew hotter and additional materials and energies were added to this mass, the rock around the core began to heat and melt resulting in the living planet you call earth. Up until very recently the only influence it had on anything outside its cell was through the dreams and other subconscious states that you as sentient organisms experience. It has tried to encourage your people to destroy this planet since their first sentient thought."

"So are you saying it was responsible for the bloody and barbarous acts that have occurred throughout human history?" Nelson inquired.

"Only in a peripheral way, in its current form it can only suggest and urge not coerce or force a being to act. You as sentient beings always retain the free will to choose your ultimate path; the horrors let loose on your planet by your own kind are a conscious decision by those who choose to act on the suggestions planted in their minds. Once it finds an adept and willing acolyte it concentrates on that being feeding their dreams and desires to subjugate and destroy those around them. It urges them to develop more powerful weapons to decimate their enemies and in the process hopefully achieve its ultimate goal of planetary destruction and freedom. It strokes their egos and stokes their delusions urging them on to greater acts of aggression and destruction. As these humans begin to gain power, they draw others to them that desire the same, like moths to a flame. They create armies that make war against those they deem subhuman and beneath them. This in turn motivates those who oppose them to take up arms and resist, further escalating the development of weapons of war; examples of this progression of aggression litter your racial history. The closest it has come to realizing its goal was your most recent global war. Having harnessed the power of the atom, you now have the means to trigger an event that can release it from its prison."

"To your species' credit Nelson the opposing faction has always risen and united to drive back your most heinous aggressors. In victory they more often than not demonstrate restraint in exacting retribution and attempt to assimilate their enemies as opposed to destroying them. Where it succeeds in finding and exploiting those bent on domination and control, it ultimately fails because those actions spur the adepts committed to the opposing view to action and their numbers and abilities far exceed those it has corrupted."

"Adepts, what do you mean by adepts?" Harri inquired.

"These are the gifted members of your species. They are the ones that have one or more exceptional talents that serve to draw others to their cause and advance the species as a whole positively or negatively. An example of adepts can be found right here on your vessel, virtually every person aboard has abilities or characteristics far beyond the normal human. I have never seen such a large assembly of those with extraordinary gifts and potential in one place. Take you for example; your mental capabilities are far in excess of what the rest of your species exhibit, you're charismatic and can readily spot those of special talent and draw them to your cause, those are your gifts. Your son is yet another; his mental abilities are nearly equal to yours. He is an exceptional strategist, he is extremely empathetic, leads people with ease and he is able to draw out their special talents allowing him to prevail where others would fail. He also has an unequaled talent to read those of your species and rapidly divine their true intentions towards him or those he cares about; you would be well advised to make better use of that Nelson," Keeper said with a hint of amusement in its voice. "It has unwittingly chosen a most formidable foe to try and bend to its will and that will be its ultimate undoing," Keeper finished.

"I notice you keep calling it 'it' Does 'it' have a name?" Harri inquired.

Keeper stared over Nelson's head for a moment, its expression going blank as it quickly combed through the brief book of human history. Having found what it was after Keeper returned Harri's gaze. "Its true name is not something you could pronounce and would mean nothing to you. Humans have named it many things throughout time. In your culture it is called Satan, Lucifer and Devil."

Harri stared back in disbelief and shock. "My god then it really is the Devil at the door," he replied in a hushed voice. "So if it's the devil, are you 'God'?" he asked sarcastically.

Keeper smiled at Harri and shook its head. "No, not in the sense that you mean, we did not create life on this planet. We don't establish laws of moral conduct or deign to direct the actions of any creature on this or any world; we are only interested in preserving the status quo on a universal level. What proceeds naturally of its own accord is permitted to happen whether it offends our personal sensibilities or not; only when something acts to unnaturally alter that balance, like with the Devil, do we move to protect and return the equilibrium by whatever means necessary. To more primitive members of your species we would appear as gods based on the powers we possess and the things we can do. I have existed since nearly the dawn of time, when one exists that long one learns to control and manipulate quite a lot."

"You may not be 'God' but it sounds like you certainly play at it, especially with those who have no power," Harri replied coolly.

As Keeper prepared to respond there was a knock at the door. "Come," called Nelson.

* Aptitudes and Skill Sets posted on fanfiction


	9. Chapter 9

Lee knelt down slowly next to Kendal's unconscious body, she was still breathing heavily from the ordeal she had experienced. He stripped off his shirt tore off a piece and carefully wiped the blood and sweat from her face. He brushed the hair gently off her forehead then picked up her hand hopefully letting her know she was not alone.

He could still hear her screams of agony and her pleas to him to do something to stop the pain. He had the power to bring it all to a halt, all he had to do was agree to help it and it would all stop but he had his duty to perform. He flashed back to another situation where he again had the power to bring the pain and terror to a halt with just a word, but he once again honored his duty and stood mute as Ferrell was dragged from the cell, stood up before a firing squad and executed*. The guilt and self-loathing he felt over Ferrell's loss and his inability to protect Kendal flared like a sun going nova burning him to the depths of his soul. Duty was a demanding, unforgiving, thankless bastard and at times like this he despised and hated it and himself for sacrificing so much in its service.

The irony of the entire situation was that no one on Seaview actually had the capability to fire the missiles without activation of Fail Safe by the President. Luckily for them it was apparently incapable of reading minds and had not ferreted out that little fact otherwise they would have been dispensed with long ago. As long as he refused to give in to its demands, Seaview would stay safe and only he and Kendal would bear the brunt of its anger and impatience.

He looked at her and gently drew his finger down her cheek. "I'm so sorry you had to endure that Kendal; I'd give almost anything to spare you from that agony but I just can't. You know the reason as well as I. I truly hope you can find it within you to forgive me," Lee whispered softly in her ear, his voice very nearly breaking, and then kissed her gently on the forehead. He picked up his shirt wadded it into a ball and placed it carefully under her head. "You rest now, build up your strength, I'll get you out of this yet, I promise."

Lee rose unsteadily to his feet and turned slowly around in a circle scanning the area around him. Based on what he could see he estimated they were roughly in the center of the room. Uncertain whether it was watching or not, he raised his arms as best he could in front of him and shuffled slowly forward like a blind man trying to find his way. He needed to explore the room around him to get a lay of the land so when the time came to escape he would have an idea what was between them and freedom.

He decided to head away from the lights to the opposite wall to start his exploration so he would have a ready point of reference on his return to Kendal. He mentally counted the steps so that he could develop some sense of scale. The room was devoid of any outstanding features, the floor was smooth as though worn down and polished by eons of movement by it as it endlessly paced across its prison. As he reached the far wall he ran his hands across the surface feeling the same smooth texture and a thin veneer of slime. The more he explored the more he realized that this was just a bare cell and truly had to be hell for this creature locked away all alone. He acknowledged the fact but couldn't muster any sympathy for it given all it had done.

As he moved along the wall he occasionally turned around and scanned the room cocking his head as if listening for some sound that would lead him to a way out. As he looked back towards it, it seemed to be watching him amused at his attempt to learn about its cage. Lee started making his way towards the lights keeping his hand firmly planted against the wall as a guide and to provide him far more support than he was happy needing.

As he moved along the wall it began to chuckle. "Going somewhere _Lee_? You're wasting your time, there's but one way out and you refuse to let us go."

"Well it's my time to waste isn't it?" Lee replied continuing to move along the wall.

"You surely don't want to spend an eternity with me do you Lee? I have been a gracious host up until now, but I do have my limits."

"My guess is I'll die long before that; death is ultimately my way out." Lee countered.

It laughed uproariously at the comment. "I wouldn't be too sure. If you haven't noticed time stands suspended within this prison. You will be with me forever and I will torture you and the female endlessly as you are my only companions and will have my undivided attention."

Lee fought down an involuntary shudder at the thought of that thing having another go at Kendal whenever the mood struck. He had to get her out and to safety, he had to find that stone. Reaching the spot where the lights shone directly above he looked up and noticed that two of the larger ones seemed to have changed color. He smiled to himself realizing that Harri had actually been with him in his mind and he hadn't just imagined it. They were working to get them out, now if he could only carry out his part and save them all.

He continued past the lights and moved towards the back of the cell where it shuffled off to when it wasn't tormenting them. He saw it start to move in his direction blocking access to the area behind it. Lee immediately guessed that the item he was after was located somewhere behind that foul mass and he now needed a way to get past it without it noticing. He had to verify his assumption so he pressed on apparently oblivious to it standing in his way.

It suddenly struck out and Lee was jolted by an excruciating bolt of electricity much like a taser blast that dropped him to his knees then sent him reeling onto his side jerking convulsively as his body reacted to the charge. It seemed to go on forever as Lee writhed on floor grunting in pain through gritted teeth, and then suddenly it stopped. It growled in a low and menacing tone at him. "Go back to your companion unless you fancy another round with me."

Once he regained control of his limbs and between gasps for air Lee nodded and pushed himself back up to his feet. He turned around and began making his way back to where he started. His mind raced furiously looking for ways that he could possibly get behind it to see what it was protecting. Unfortunately every solution came back to Kendal, only when it focused on torturing her could he possibly stand a chance of sneaking past it. '_Oh god please let there be another way_', he thought to himself.

()()()()()

Sharkey entered the admiral's cabin in response to his call. He stared momentarily shocked by the presence of Keeper in the room; apparently the OOM wasn't losing his marbles after all. "You needed something Admiral?"

"Yes Chief, we need to prepare to recover Captain Crane and Dr. Ferguson once we receive their signal. I need you to gather four ropes, four rescue harnesses and two small backpacks and split the gear evenly making two kits, then stage a kit in the head in the captain's quarters and in Guest Cabin 1. Also select two teams that will deploy the equipment and recover our people when they are notified. We need the teams to simultaneously deploy the equipment through the mirrors once the skipper gives us the word and then pull him and Kendal to safety when they've clipped onto the lines. "

"Aye sir," Sharkey responded. "How long does each rope need to be?"

Harri looked at Keeper for the response.

"Two hundred feet for each rope should be sufficient to reach the floor of the room and give you enough to hold on to, to pull them up," Keeper answered.

"Anything else sir," Sharkey asked.

"Yes Sharkey, you need to replace the white light bulbs in the captain's and Kendal's head with green ones so they will be able to recognize where their extraction points are located," Nelson finished. "Remember do not get near the mirror or allow anyone to touch it until instructed to do so otherwise they run the risk of being pulled in as well.

"Yes sir, I'll get right on it." Sharkey turned and exited the cabin.

"So any idea how long we're going to have to wait?" Harri asked.

"We have a bit of time for now. It attacked Ferguson right after you completed your conversation with Crane. She is deeply unconscious at the moment as she recovers from the assault."

Harri blanched at the thought of Kendal enduring any torture at the hands of that thing. He also knew what Lee must be going through knowing he could have stopped it had he only agreed to launch his missiles.

"So what's going to happen when Lee grabs the stone?"

"Once he notifies you that he has found it and it is in his possession I will announce my presence to Devil and hopefully it will focus its entire attention on me and forget about your people. When I make my move you must tell Crane to get Ferguson and the stone to the extraction zone as quickly as possible so that we can recover the stone without delay. I think Devil will react violently and strike at the trench below you causing a significant quake, you need to have you're personnel braced to withstand the shake."

"What about the force field, what happens to it once you pop out and yell surprise?" Harri inquired.

"Once Crane takes the stone, its containment field will most likely collapse and as I said I will protect your vessel by erecting one of my own. It is imperative that this vessel stays safe so the stone can be recovered or all of this is for naught and I will be forced to act."

Harri didn't fail to notice that Keeper showed no concern for the two people stranded on the other side, all it wanted was the stone. He needed to convey to Lee the last thing to enter the boat had to be stone. There was no doubt in his mind Keeper would readily sacrifice them if it got its hands on the stone before they both were safely aboard.

"That's most unkind Nelson," Keeper said as it stared at him, a slight smile on its face. "I have gone to great lengths to protect your planet and your vessel. I will not lie to you, my focus is on that stone and I must have it if you want your planet to continue. I do however recognize the risks your people are taking to recover the stone and how personally important they are to you and others on this vessel. I will endeavor to protect them but like in any military operation we must achieve our objective to win the war and if that means their lives are sacrificed then so be it."

Harri glowered at him. "I would appreciate it if you would stay out of my mind. And true, I am very concerned about getting my people safely back on board. I harbor no illusions about how you must view the human race or our expendability in this situation. I just want to make damn sure you don't just grab the money and run, as it were, and leave them there holding the bag at the mercy of that thing."

"Understood Nelson, and I respect that. I will do all in my power to ensure they are returned."

()()()()()

Kendal slowly became aware that she was stretched out on the floor still locked in this festering black hole and it hadn't been some kind of horrific nightmare. Her mind immediately shot back to the excruciating unending pain that had wracked her body and cringed. She had no idea such pain was even possible and was now completely certain she had fallen into hell.

As she began to register the world around her she noticed her body felt as though she's been thrown from a cliff, everything ached including her hair and her muscles screamed at the slightest hint of movement. She also came to the realization that her head was resting on something soft. She eased her hand up behind her head to touch what was there and after a moment determined the makeshift pillow was Lee's shirt. As she moved her arm back down to her side she involuntarily whimpered.

Where was Lee she thought with alarm, surely he hadn't abandoned her here alone in the dark with that thing. He wasn't that much of a coward was he she thought as she recalled him standing by letting it torture her unmercifully.

A wave of abject terror swept over her at the thought of being left alone with that thing. "Lee! Lee! Lee, are you here?" she screamed out.

"Kendal, I'm here," Lee called out immediately as he tried to allay her fears. "I just went off to explore a bit, I'll be back in a moment. Keep talking to me so I can follow your voice back, okay."

"I thought you had left me here," she said quietly.

"Never Kendal, I will never leave you here alone I promise you that." Lee replied earnestly.

"I'm so scared, Lee. I was hoping this was all some bad nightmare and I would wake up and find myself back in my bed chalking it up to bad clams."

"Unfortunately you're not that lucky," Lee answered with a small chuckle. "I'm almost there Kendal, just hold on."

"Okay," she replied with a sniffle as she tried to force back the tears. She had never felt so overwhelmed and alone in her life. Moments later she heard Lee close in on her position and jumped slightly when he reached out and touched her shoulder.

"I'm here now Kendal," Lee said making sure she knew it was him and not that thing. "How are you feeling?"

"I hurt all over and feel as though I've been turned inside out and back again."

"I'm so sorry you had to endure that, I wish that there was something I could have done to stop it."

"There was Lee and you didn't. I didn't sign up for this," she replied bitterly.

Lee sighed deeply and shook his head in despair. "I know and I'm sorry but my hands are tied. You surely must know what would be lost if I gave in to its demands."

Kendal made no response to his comments and sniffled quietly as she fought to bring herself under control. As the silence became awkward she finally replied very softly. "I know Lee. I'm sorry too it wasn't your fault."

"You have nothing to be sorry about, I should have protected you and I didn't. Please forgive me."

A loud and sadistic laugh rumbled over them, making them both shudder in revulsion. "Ah now isn't that sweet, the brave knight unable to rescue the damsel in distress and begging her forgiveness. Should I give you yet another opportunity to come to the maiden's aid Sir Lee?"

Kendal latched onto Lee's arm as the mere thought of another episode of its torture terrified her. She began to shake uncontrollably. Lee pulled her tight against him in hopes of imparting some shred of comfort and support.

"You keep the hell away from her!" Lee spat.

It began laughing heartily again. "Oh so brave Lee."

"Braver than you, you cowardly piece of filth," Kendal added in as defiant a voice as she could muster.

It laughed again then suddenly Kendal began to scream as it launched yet another attack on her. Lee carefully lowered her to the floor as she writhed and squirmed in his arms.

"You bastard, leave her alone! You want to torture someone then try someone not afraid of you! Your bid for freedom is going to fail and you're going to spend the rest of time in this stinking hole," Lee taunted hoping to draw its attack off Kendal.

It growled loudly and one of its tentacle limbs reached out and seized Lee squeezing the breath out of him. It raised him up near its head and sneered at him then flung him back behind it across the room like a rag doll.

Lee slammed into the wall with such force that he saw stars as his head rebounded off the wall; he fought desperately to remain conscious. As he slid down the wall he stood momentarily, until his knees buckled and he fell to the floor gasping for breath doubled over in pain. As he hit the floor and toppled over his hand brushed against something very warm and slimy. There was something significant about that and he struggled to focus his addled mind to recall just what that was.

He fought desperately to tune out Kendal's agonized screams as he searched for the reason that warm thing was important to him. Suddenly like a bolt out of the blue the reason hit him, he'd found it, he had found its power stone. Lee screamed out mentally as loud as he could to Harri. He just prayed to god that he was there and would come to their rescue.

()()()()()

Nearly two days had elapsed since they had heard from Lee and Nelson was extremely worried. As he wandered down the corridor trying to burn off nervous energy Harri nearly passed out from the sudden and deafening cry that stabbed through his mind. He was forced to one knee as the world reeled around him. A single word had been burned across his brain. "_Dad_!"

"Lee!" Harri said aloud and pushed himself to his feet. He hurried down the corridor to his cabin. "Keeper! Keeper, Lee has contacted me, he's found the stone."

Keeper appeared instantaneously at Harri's summons. "Excellent. Has he taken possession yet?"

Harri quickly cleared his mind and sent his thoughts racing out to Lee. As he touched Lee's mind he was almost overwhelmed by the sense of relief Lee felt as he made contact. He could tell immediately something was wrong given his agitation.

_"Lee, it's Harri, what's wrong son?"_

_"I've found the stone sir but only because it is torturing Kendal at this very moment. We've got to get her out of here now before it kills her or something worse."_

Harri opened his eyes to regard Keeper his look nearly frantic. Keeper nodded then sent Harri the instructions he needed to pass on to Lee.

_"Lee, Keeper is here and says that it will make itself known to the devil momentarily. Once you know that it's focused on Keeper grab the stone and Kendal and make your way as quickly as you can to the lights. Do you understand, son?"_

_"Yes I understand, please hurry," Lee pleaded._

_"I need to alert the crew to prepare for your return then Keeper will make his move. Hold on son the cavalry is coming," Harri replied._

_"Okay Dad," Lee answered tiredly._

Harri sat forward in his desk chair and flipped on the intercom. "Sharkey this is Nelson get your teams into position and be ready to deploy the rescue gear."

"Sharkey here, we're on our way sir."

"Sick bay this is Nelson."

"This is Jamieson."

"Jamie I need Chip in the con now, things are about to break wide open and I need him in command."

"He's on his way Admiral," Jamie replied.

"Jamie, get corpsmen and stretchers positioned in the captain's quarters and in Guest Cabin 1, I'm not sure which portal they'll come through. By the sounds of it neither of them is in pristine condition and will most likely need immediate medical assistance."

"Understood sir, we're on our way."

"Admiral this is Morton, I'm in the con awaiting your orders."

"Chip sound general quarters and have the crew ready for extreme turbulence. Keeper thinks that the devil will strike out with a significant quake once it detects its presence. We need to ensure that injures are kept to a minimum so we can get the hell out of here."

"Aye sir, Morton out." As the intercom clicked off the klaxons sounded and Chip alerted the crew to the impending emergency.

Harri looked back at Keeper. "Okay, it's your move now; we're as ready as we'll ever be."

* Season One Episode – The Mist of Silence


	10. Chapter 10

Lee sat motionless propped against the far wall desperately trying to avoid drawing its attention and discovering what he had found. His ears rang with the sound of Kendal's screams each reaching a greater crescendo as it increased the punishment it meted out against her. He cursed himself for not coming to her aid but a move before Keeper made his play would condemn them all.

Time did seem to stand still as Lee waited for the sign that Keeper was in the house. Just as he came to the decision to grab the power stone and move in hopes of getting it to stop tormenting Kendal her screams suddenly stopped replaced by quiet sobs as she lay in ball on the floor.

It suddenly roared loudly in rage, the sound echoing across the room rattling Lee's teeth. It spun around rapidly looking for something Lee couldn't see and then it finally froze, its gaze fixed on the wall opposite the lights. He let loose the smallest of smiles and quietly said, "They're heeerrreee."

Recognizing this as his signal Lee forced himself to his feet and snatched up the power stone. It was roughly the length and width of a football only flat and coated with a slimy film making it difficult to hold on to. Afraid that he might drop it, he quickly wedged the stone under the elasticized bandaged that tightly hugged his chest. He pushed off from the wall and started running across the room towards Kendal as best he could. His meeting with the wall had given him a doozy of a concussion and the room in front of him threatened to spin out from under his feet at any moment. Finally reaching her side he knelt down and tried to rouse her.

"Kendal, Kendal, you have to get up now, it's time to go," he implored quietly.

She moaned and curled even tighter into a protective ball. Her eyes were wide and unfocused as she keened quietly between sobs.

"Come on Kendal we need to get moving if we want to escape," he said shaking her gently.

She remained unmoved and he knew that he would have to carry her to the portal if he was going to get her out. He carefully wedged his arms beneath her and slowly pushed to his feet. As he strained to lift her he felt something shift in his chest and he experienced a sudden stabbing pain and shortness of breath.

"Damn," was all he said as he realized he most likely had punctured a lung. He staggered slowly across the floor with his load until he finally reached the wall. He strained to see the green lights and pick out the ropes that the admiral was supposed to lower down to them. Try as he might he just couldn't spot them. He began to pace along the wall trying to think if he had missed any instructions the admiral had given when suddenly he tripped over something and fell hard to the floor.

Groaning in pain, he carefully disentangled himself from Kendal and looked behind him to see what he had tripped him. A wave of relief washed over him as he spotted the coiled rope and backpack lying on the ground. He crawled on his knees over to the rope grabbed the backpack unzipped it and found two harnesses inside.

He quickly withdrew the harnesses and returned to Kendal's side. Still catatonic Lee placed the harness around her chest, waist and legs and buckled it shut. Once that was done he donned his own then dragged Kendal over to the rope. He rapidly threaded the rope through the harness then tugged hard three times. Next he slipped the power stone out from his bandages and placed it in the backpack and secured that to her harness. He bent down carefully picking her up and waited for the slack to be removed from the line as his men hoisted her to safety. All the while he continually monitored it as it roared and raged at Keeper hoping it wouldn't turn around notice their escape and attack them.

It seemed like hours before the rope finally became taut and he watched Kendal rise quickly up the wall towards the portal. Once she was well on her way Lee clipped onto the other rope and then tugged signaling his readiness to leave.

()()()()()

As it tormented and tortured the human, it suddenly became aware of another presence around it. Something was drawing the planets in this solar system back into their original orbits and draining its power as it did; there was only one thing that could possibly exercise that much control. Distracted by this change it turned its attention to the outside and searched the stars leaving Kendal alone. It roared in outrage as it detected Keeper and knew that its plans to escape had somehow come to light.

'_The humans, it had to be the damn humans_,' it fumed. They had somehow alerted its nemesis about its activities and asked it to intervene. Furious, it shot a bolt of energy through the core causing the tectonic plates to shift radically generating a monstrous earthquake centered in the trench above. They would all pay for this. As the earth trembled Devil collapsed the force field around Crane's vessel to let the pressures of the deep dispatch those aboard.

Keeper returned its volley with one of its own and Devil screamed out in pain as the bolt ricocheted around its prison slicing through its corpulent body. Devil turned and moved to where it kept its power stone, it would not give up all it had achieved without a fight. As it reached its hiding place it immediately noticed the stone was gone. It roared out again in absolute fury and scanned the room for Crane. It looked to where it had left the other and noticed she was no longer there, there was only one place they could go and it spun round rapidly facing the lights.

As it looked towards the lights it noticed one of its prisoners being pulled through the portal, back to the outside world. Looking down the wall it noticed the other had yet to make its escape; it had to be Crane he was chivalrous to a fault and would send his companion first. As Crane was being hauled up towards the light it let loose a bolt of energy striking him and severing his rope. He plummeted back to the floor and laid there unmoving stunned by the sudden impact.

()()()()()

All hell had seemed to break loose following the XO's warning to rig for turbulence. As forecasted by Keeper, Devil struck out at the earth generating a 9.0 earthquake centered right beneath the boat. The resulting shock waves nearly barrel rolled Seaview as she swung frantically from side to side like a carnival ride in the turbulence. Everyone aboard had managed to strap themselves in so damage to personnel was minimal, the real concern was the condition of the boat.

Following the quake there was a sudden extreme change in pressure as the force field around them had been whisked away. Seaview groaned and creaked as several plates began to bend and fold under the strain, and then just as they were certain the boat would collapse under the weight of the water around them, the pressure just as suddenly abated. Nelson looked over to Keeper and nodded his thanks realizing that Devil's force field had been collapsed and as promised Keeper had stepped in to replace it.

As the turbulence passed Harri grabbed the mic. "Sharkey any sign of the captain or Kendal yet?"

"Yes sir, they've got action on the lines in Guest Cabin 1."

"Copy that. Keep all lines attended until we have everyone aboard," Harri replied. "I'll be right there."

Harri bolted from his cabin and ran down to Guest Cabin 1 to be there when they pulled his people through. He arrived just in time to see Kendal eased through the mirror. She was quite obviously catatonic not reacting in the least as she was pulled through the mirror and laid carefully down on the waiting stretcher. The corpsmen quickly rushed her out of the room and down to sick bay so they would be ready to collect the skipper when he came through.

Nelson watched in anxious anticipation as the recovery team began hauling Lee's line in pulling him to safety. Suddenly to the horror of them all the line shook violently then went slack sending the crewmen backwards into the bulkhead. They recovered quickly and pulled on their rope as fast as they could only to find a burnt and frayed end as it slipped through the mirror.

"Shit," exclaimed Nelson. He immediately grabbed the mic on the cabin wall. "Sharkey the line the captain was on snapped, make sure your team is ready to start hauling as soon as you get a sign he's there."

"Aye sir we're standing by. Sir did you get Kendal?" Sharkey asked.

"Affirmative, we only have to worry about getting the skipper back aboard. Stay sharp, I'm on my way up." Harri replied then shipped the mic and headed for officer's country.

As Harri entered Lee's cabin he was startled to see Keeper there waiting for him. "Nelson, you need to contact Crane get him up and moving towards the other rope. Devil managed to attack him as he was being hauled up and severed his rope. He's stunned and dazed but not unconscious, call to your son focus him on finding the other rope. He sent the stone through with Ferguson so I have that and I can now take steps to seal Devil in forever. I'm giving you this **_one_** chance to save him as he has saved all on your planet and to honor my promise and commitment to you. I will launch another attack to draw its attention; get moving time is short."

()()()()()

Lee arched his back in agony as the bolt of energy made contact and severed his rope. He felt himself falling helplessly back into the pit of despair. The one thought that gave him any relief was that Kendal had made it through with the stone and all those he loved and cherished would be safe; his life was a small enough price to pay to protect them.

As he laid there on the floor he heard it approach, it was breathing heavily its fury and rage nearly palpable. He knew its anger would be unchecked and steeled himself for the first of many blows he was certain would come. This would be his penance for allowing Kendal to endure that torture instead of him, he should have protected her better he deserved this.

He stared at the enraged demon as it drew near, and then stared in surprise when it suddenly turned and moved in the opposite direction. His mind clouded by all he had been through had a tough time processing what was happening. It roared in pain and anger again as the unseen force took yet another shot at it pulling it away from him. He then became aware of the return of Harri's voice and smiled, he was glad he'd have the opportunity to tell him how much he meant to him and to tell him goodbye.

"_Lee, Lee can you hear me?" Harri called out._

"_Yes sir, I hear you. Is Kendal safe, did you get the stone?" Lee asked._

"_Yes son both are safe thanks to you. Lee I need you to move towards the other light, there is another rope there and we can pull you out."_

"_Too tired sir, too much pain. Don't waste the time or take a chance with Seaview's safety, leave me ."_

"_Hang that Captain; get your ass moving now," Nelson thundered. "There are people and a certain entity taking risks to make sure you make it home, now do your part and find that other rope!"_

"_Aye, aye sir, I'll try," Lee replied weakly._

"_Good boy, come on Lee I know you can do this. We want you back home where you belong, lad."_

As Lee began crawling his way in the direction of the other rope Harri became grimly aware of just how much pain the man was in as he shared what Lee was feeling through their mental connection. He was struggling for breath, his chest felt as though it had been crushed, his back pulsated in pain and his head throbbed endlessly as he fought to hold on to consciousness.

"_Come on son, you're almost there. You can do this," Harri urged._

"_Got it sir," Lee replied. "Tying on now… haul away."_

Breaking the connection, Nelson looked up at the team poised to recover the captain. "Pull! Pull like there's no tomorrow we need to get him in before anything else goes wrong!"

The recovery team needed no encouragement as they laid into the lines and began pulling so hard and fast it was as though the rope was attached to a winch. As they reached the end of the line Lee's head popped through the mirror and Nelson and Sharkey moved in to gently ease him through the opening. He was now unconscious having finally given in to his injuries and exhaustion. Just as his feet cleared the sill the mirror exploded showering them in a spray of glass. The boat suddenly lurched as it was tossed around in the concussive wave from the explosion.

They somehow managed to keep their feet and keep Lee protected from the jolt. Once the shaking stopped they moved him carefully into the main cabin and laid him down gently on the waiting stretcher. Jamie was there to greet them and immediately jumped in evaluating his condition. He was a mess more broken ribs, a major concussion on top of the one he had sustained earlier and even his bruises had bruises. Jamie listened intently to his respiration and tracked his pulse. "Let's get him to sick bay stat he's got a pneumothorax; we need to get him stabilized before his lung collapses."

"He's in a lot of pain Jamie and not all of its physical." Nelson said as he watched the doctor work.

Jamie looked up at the admiral and easily read the pain and sorrow he felt over his captain's condition. "He's going to be fine in time Harri, as will Kendal."

Harri gave him a melancholy smile. "Thanks Jamie, take good care of them they deserve it, they saved us all."

Jamie nodded and then indicated to his corpsmen that they should pick up the stretcher and get the captain down to sick bay where he could work his magic and start taking some of that pain away. They left, followed closely by Sharkey and the recovery team as they moved to carry out their DCP duties leaving Nelson alone in Lee's cabin. Harri quickly perused the pictures of he and Lee hanging on the wall then closed his eyes and sighed in relief at finally getting his son home.

()()()()()

As the mirror exploded, Seaview was once again tossed by violent turbulence quickly followed by a searing bright light that rose up from the depths of the trench enveloping the boat and momentarily blinding those in the con as it blazed through the windows. They then became aware that they were in motion rising rapidly as though riding an express elevator to the top of some monstrous skyscraper. As quickly as it started the boat came to a gentle stop and floated calmly on the surface of the ocean triggering a relieved cheer across the control room as sunlight poured in through the windows in the nose.

Chip immediately started calling out commands to resume monitoring Seaview's detection systems, establishing a deck watch, reestablishing communications with NIMR and mobilizing damage control parties to evaluate the damage done to the boat during all that had just occurred. "Admiral this is Morton, we've just broke the surface."

"Thanks for that information Chip, that's fantastic news. Just to let you know we have both Lee and Kendal safely aboard now and in Jamie's capable hands," Nelson replied.

Another resounding cheer passed through the entire boat.

"Great to know sir. How are they doing?" Chip asked his concern quite evident.

"Lee is pretty beaten up; he was unconscious by the time we got him back on board. Kendal is catatonic last I knew but Jamie was hopeful that she would regain consciousness once she has an opportunity to rest. I'm heading down to sick bay now; join me when you have things squared away up there."

"Aye sir, will do. Morton out."

Harri smiled in appreciation as he listened to Chip expertly direct recovery activities to return Seaview to operational status. He thanked his lucky stars again at having purloined the man from the Navy, he was certain there was no finer exec anywhere. As he shipped the mic and turned to go to sick bay he saw Keeper standing behind him.

He gave it a small smile. "Thank you Keeper. Thank you for giving us the time to rescue my son, you have no idea how much that means to me."

"You are more than welcome Nelson; we both owe him a world of thanks and Kendal too. Their courage and bravery under the most dire of conditions is a lesson to us all and leaves me humbled at their willingness to sacrifice everything to ensure the safety of this world and this universe. There are few in this universe that could have adapted so rapidly to things so beyond their common frame of reference and prevailed. You should be proud of both and proud of having them as members of your team."

"You are quite correct on all counts," Harri said in agreement. "What about the devil; is it locked safely away now?"

"Yes and I've taken measures to ensure that no one will ever enter its domain again. It lost much in its attempt to escape its prison and it will be eons before it ever potentially recovers enough power to try again. I've also added more barriers around its cell to prevent it from gaining any outside materials that can be used against those around it. You're sun will be long dead before it could ever present a threat and I will be much more vigilant of its activities in the future. It will still have the ability to enter your dreams but your kind has dealt with that successfully for thousands of your years and I have faith that you will continue to do so."

"Thank you for that and speaking for the planet we appreciate all you've done to let us survive. Hopefully we don't waste the opportunity you've given us." Harri replied.

"You have potential as a species Nelson, yet you are only in your infancy. If your people are capable of overcoming their warlike and aggressive natures, they should one day evolve into an advanced race standing among other great peoples in the universal community. I hold out great hope for you humans and look forward to welcoming your children when their time comes."

Harri laughed. "Well I'll be long since passed by the time that happens. It would be amazing to see that day though."

"You will in your own way. As I said you are an adept and have many great talents that if used correctly will go a long way in moving your people to that end. Take good care of Crane and Ferguson they are especially gifted and have much to give to your world if given the opportunity."

"I will Keeper, believe me I will," Harri replied seriously.

"Well Nelson I must return to my realm as you must move forward in yours. It has been an enlightening experience; please give my thanks to Crane and Ferguson for all they did."

"I will and thank you again," Nelson answered. With that Keeper smiled, nodded and disappeared.

()()()()()

Harri walked into sick bay just as Jamie finished taking Lee's vitals and pulled the blanket back up to his chest. He looked up at the admiral and smiled.

"He's fairly well busted up inside but will fully recover," Jamie said. "He's got another four broken ribs, three cracked, a very nice concussion and has added a new definition for the term exhaustion so it will be some time before he'll be in any condition to try an escape from my domain. As best I can tell neither he nor Kendal have suffered any long term effects from their exposure to the carnotite so that's one less thing we need to worry about."

Nelson nodded acknowledging the report. He walked over to Lee's bunk and looked down at the sleeping man. He reached out and placed his hand gently on his cheek then closed his eyes in silent prayer thankful to have been able to pull him back from hell. After a moment he turned catching Jamie's slight smile. He flashed a brief grin in return somewhat embarrassed at his display of emotion, there was really no point in denying how much the young man meant to him but somehow he was still uncomfortable with the thought of stating it out loud even to Lee.

"How's Kendal?" he inquired desperately trying to redirect Jamie's scrutiny.

"I think she'll be fine, she's resting comfortably as you can see. There were signs of her becoming more responsive before I sedated her. She doesn't have any physical injuries but if she was subject to the kind of torture you indicated she will need time and possibly counseling to recover mentally from that. She's every bit as exhausted as Lee which may be playing a role in her catatonia. Once she's had the opportunity to rest up she may snap right out of it."

"I'm not surprised in the least, that was a horrific experience that would overwhelm just about anyone, especially someone who hasn't had the experiences we've shared. I just hope the scars aren't too deep and she's able to shake it off and move forward," Harri replied.

"I don't doubt that she will, she's one resiliant lady. Why don't you come on in my office and we can relax have a cup of coffee and wait for Chip, all they'll be doing is sleeping for some time."

Harri nodded in agreement with Jamie's suggestion. He looked down once more at the sleeping man and gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "We've got you home now son and everyone is safe. You can relax, you're duty is done for now."

Harri turned and followed Jamie into the other room and sat down in front of Jamie's desk. As they exited Keeper silently appeared in the sick bay. It moved over to Kendal and gently placed its hand on her forehead and directed a single thought at her, 'Forget'. The memory of Devil's torture would no longer plague her dreams and she would be able to shrug it off as nothing more than a nightmare and it would have no more power over her.

It next moved over to Lee and did the same as it erased his guilt and self-condemnation for being unable to come to Kendal's aid even though it was well beyond his powers. Its hand then grew red and hot as it sent a wave of energy through Lee's body repairing all the damage he'd suffered at the hands of Devil; it was the least it could do for one who would have willingly sacrificed so much.

Even deeply unconscious Lee sighed in relief as the pain rapidly subsided and vanished. He shifted to his side and curled up sleeping soundly for the first time in over a month.

()()()()()

It was a slow and leisurely return to Santa Barbara as Lee didn't want to stress the damaged hull plates any more than necessary, plus everyone needed a little time to decompress and recover after all they'd been through. The command team also needed to determine how best to report what Seaview had encountered during the voyage. They seriously wondered how long it would take for the authorities to label them crackpots and tote them off to the loony bin if they actually reported defending the earth against the devil with the help of ET.

Ultimately Admiral Nelson and Dr. Ferguson agreed that they would report that the most probable cause of the increased seismicity was due to massive anomalous buildups of methane and other gases along and in the subduction zone most likely produced from the loss of permafrost, the collapse of methane hydrate deposits and other factors attributed to global climate change. The earthquakes were caused when the tectonic plates shifted in response to the increase in pressures. With the last large quake they suggested that the subduction zone had now been purged of the excessive pressure and would return to its normal pattern of activity. To support their hypothesis they would submit the information they had collected when Seaview encountered the two massive subsea bursts, the first that dropped them to the bottom of the sea and the second that burped them back to the surface. That and Seaview's warped hull plates should buy them at least a shred of credibility.

Harri and Kendal knew that their report would be greeted with a great deal of skepticism and in some quarters there would be calls of government cover ups most likely obscuring illegal underground nuclear testing or other weapons research. None of the crew was overly willing to talk about what had occurred finding it all more than a little unsettling. Cover story firmly in place, the crew sworn to secrecy in the name of national security they closed the book on the expedition.

()()()()()

They were two hours out from port and Harri had Lee surface the boat so they could enjoy the view coming home. He, Chip, Lee, Jamie and Kendal sat on Nelson's front porch enjoying a relaxing cup of coffee and taking in the view. Kendal was for all intents and purposes a valued member of Seaview's crew following all she'd been through, she had even come to like Cookie's coffee in the course of this adventure and now was drinking hers black with no sugar.

"Kendal I've been thoroughly impressed with the work you've done on this mission and the incredible support you've provided throughout. I can't begin to thank you for the assistance you gave in sick bay; Jamie says you quite literally helped save the day. Also the way you handled yourself in the face of the unknown and your abduction from the boat was impressive, you adapted well given everything that was thrown at you." Harri started. The rest of the men at the table smiled and nodded their agreement.

Kendal blushed a bit at all the praise. "You're quite welcome Harri, I was glad to pitch in where I could. I have to tell you how impressed I've been with you, Seaview and her excellent crew. I can honestly say it was a once in a lifetime experience I'll not soon forget."

"That brings me to the topic I'd like to discuss with you. I've been contemplating establishing an astrophysics division at NIMR for some time now to help us possibly anticipate and better prepare for the encounters like we just had. I'm looking for someone to head up that effort and help me establish the new division, recruit personnel and oversee their work. I was wondering if perchance you might be interested in taking on that challenge."

Kendal sat there stunned, never in a million years expecting such an opportunity to be tossed into her lap. As she looked around the table she saw each man nodding in agreement and silently encouraging her to accept the position. "Wow, that's some offer Harri, I don't quite know what to say."

"Yes would be acceptable," Harri replied with a chuckle. "I know this is a bit of a surprise but I don't want to lose you or your expertise. You work well with the men on the boat and would be a welcome addition on any of the cruises you choose to take with us. Even if you don't feel like you want to ship out on Seaview again given your recent experience, you would be an excellent administrator for the new division."

"Thank you Harri, it's a great opportunity but I definitely want to think about it a bit."

"Quite understandable, take all the time you need, I don't want to push," Harri replied. "I quite honestly think this was our most challenging mission ever and everything will be a cakewalk after this."

"You're giving her a real choice? You had me thrown out of the Navy and basically made unemployable elsewhere so I had to take the job," Lee said in mock indignation then laughed.

Harri harrumphed. "Well she has more common sense than you do and can make the correct decision," Harri taunted back.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, Chip, are we home yet?"

Chip laughed out loud. "Another hour, Skipper. Are you going to take her in or would you like me to do it?" Chip replied.

"I'll bring her into port, you scratched the paint last time and I don't think the hull plates can take it," Lee kidded.

Chip scowled at him. "Did not! That scratch happened when the whale rammed us. Oops, probably shouldn't have said that," Chip replied with a wink towards Kendal. Harri and Jamie laughed thrilled everything was back to normal.

"I think it's getting a little stuffy in here," Lee answered. "Kendal would you like a little room to think along with some fresh air?"

Kendal smiled thrilled at the opportunity to go outside and breathe fresh air for the first time in over a month. "Yes I would love to Lee, thank you."

"Excellent, please follow me."

()()()()()

Lee and Kendal quickly exited the nose and climbed the ladder to the conning tower. They both squinted in the bright sunlight as they made their way to the edge of the tower and reveled in the sun on their skin and the feel of the wind in their face and hair.

"Oh my god this is fantastic," Kendal said as she took in huge breaths of fresh sea air as she scanned the horizon. "I honestly thought I'd never get a chance to breathe this again."

"I know what you mean; I had some serious doubts there for a while myself," Lee replied honestly.

They stood there side by side quietly enjoying the fresh sea air and the warm sunshine. After a moment Lee turned and looked at her. "I really hope you give serious thought to the admiral's offer, we would all like you to become a part of our team permanently. Plus I'd like the chance to get to know you better."

Kendal's head shot up surprised at Lee's comment.

"That would be all right wouldn't it? I'll understand if you don't feel the same way, I mean after what happened with the devil. And even if you don't want to hang out, I still want you to honestly consider joining NIMR; you would be an incredible addition."

"Yes it would be more than all right, I'd love to get to know you better too Lee. You weren't responsible for what the devil did and there was no way you could have prevented it, we both know that. You saved my life and there's no way I can ever thank you enough for that. You're the only man I know who'd go to hell and back to make sure I got home. As far as Harri's offer I will give it serious thought, it's a great opportunity and most likely something I can't afford to pass up."

Lee smiled one of his million watt smiles. "Great, once we get back and you've rested up a bit I'll show you around Santa Barbara and try to convince you it's a great place to live and an even better place to work."

Kendal returned his smile. "I'd like that Lee, I can't wait."

()()()()()

Hundreds of miles below their feet the devil roared out in anger and rage, humiliated at the thought of having been beaten by the barely evolved humans that scurried across the face of this planet. It would resume its work infiltrating their dreams pushing them harder and harder towards bringing an end to life on this planet and ultimately setting it free. There was more than one way to achieve its goal and there were so many opportunities to convince them to push the button, all it would take is a little more time, and it had all the time in the world.

The End.

Note: Thank you to all who have toughed it out reading my tale. I appreciate all the comments of support and your patience as I unmercifully strung you along chapter after chapter. I guess I could say the devil made me do it.


End file.
